My Precious Gems
by idletears1992
Summary: Darrin Cobalt thought his life was going perfect. He had finally gotten the love of his life and all was well. That is until his twin brother abducts her. Now he must fight for his right to be with the one he loves. Will he be successful? Or will he lose?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello there! I am back once again with another fabulous tale of love, drama, and more! This story is set in Darrin's POV and if you are a new reader and thought this sounded good, then you need to go turn around and read Let the Games Begin. Don't want anyone getting lost here. So when we last left our two lovers, Darrin had just proposed and Dana said yes. This is of course after Dana found out she's preggers! Now let us see how their lives are going...

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Sunlight filtered in through the parted curtains and streamed into the room. I groaned and pulled the covers up over my head. I heard a small chuckle as the petite body next to me nestled closer to my side. I smiled as I reached up and ran my fingers through soft curls. I opened my eyes and peered down at the small girl stretched out beside me. Her hair was long, thick tumble of dark red curls that fell down to her waist. Her skin was pale and had a light dusting of freckles covering most of the soft skin. Her bright emerald eyes met mine and I could feel my heart stop. Dana Savior was the most beautiful girl I had ever met. It still surprised me that she was mine.

"Good morning," she sighed as she cuddled closer to me.

"Morning," I mumbled back kissing her on the top of the head. "When do you have to work?"

"Not until tonight silly," she chuckled. "Night clubs typically aren't open during the day."

I frowned as I looked down at her. Despite every argument I presented, Dana had gone and gotten herself a job at a local club. It wouldn't be that bad if she didn't come home all the time with stories of guys grabbing at her ass and constantly hitting on her. A few times I got thrown out of said club for practically beating some guy to death for just looking at Dana. I have tried time and time again to get her to quit that job. She doesn't even need it. I have more than enough money to support her, myself, and both of our clans. It took me months after our engagement to convince her and her clan to move in with me and mine.

Dana stretched her arms over her head as she slowly rose off of the mattress. The morning light caught her hair and made the red curls seem to glow. I leaned up on my elbows and watched her walk into the bathroom connecting to our room. She looked back at me and smiled before stepping into the bathroom. A few minutes later I heard the shower start and I sighed and lay back down. The sun was now blazing in through the window. I groaned and rolled over pulling a pillow over my head. Before I knew it I was asleep once again.

**X X X**

I let out a long moan as I rolled back over, my jaw aching slightly. My stomach growled loudly as I opened my eyes. The light of the setting sun filtered dimly through the drawn curtains. I looked around confused trying to find Dana. I let out a frustrated groan when I realized I had slept all day. There was a knock on the door and I grunted as I got out of bed. I threw the door open to see a flinching Abel standing there. He looked up at me, his eyes wide and filled with such innocence it would break your heart.

"Dana gets off in an hour," he said softly looking down at his feet. "She tried to wake you up before she left but you were mumbling about something obscene so she punched in the jaw."

"Well that explains that," I thought aloud, "okay I'll get ready to go I guess."

Able nodded and scampered down the hall. I shook my head as I watched him leave and turned back into my room. Once I was fully dressed I stalked out and down the long hallway towards the grand staircase. Raven walked out of her room and nodded at me in greeting. Since Dana and her clan had moved in with us, I saw very little of my clan leader. This could be due to the fact that she didn't have a very good relationship with her father, Chris Savior. I had to fight her tooth and nail to let my future bride and her family live with us. I am happy to report that I won that battle.

"Going to pick up the midget?" she asked in a cold voice.

"Better not let Dana her you talk like that," I warned. "She's been very testy lately and I have a feeling she wouldn't hesitate to kick your teeth in."

"If she can reach them," Raven scoffed walking with me down the stairs. "By the way, your mother came by last night when you went to get Dana. She seemed a little upset that you weren't here."

"Oh lord what did the old bitty want?" I groaned running a hand through my hair. It had gotten longer and hung down past my waist.

"She didn't say," Raven replied with a sigh. "She seemed surprised by your engagement though."

"You told her!" I thundered stopping in my tracks. I glared down at Raven, my fists clenched tightly to my side. "How could you do that?"

"I thought you would have told your family," Raven said warily. "You really didn't tell them anything about Dana? You've been seeing her for over a year."

"My father is still a little sore about her ending the Games," I told her through gritted teeth. "I was hoping to never tell them. Well not till after the ceremony. It is after all against our laws to kill another's Bloodmate."

"Well," Raven began carefully, "I did smell Davian earlier today…he may be around here somewhere so I would be careful."

I let out a curse under my breath as I ran out the door. I pulled out my keys from my pants pocket and ran towards my car. Dana told me she didn't like riding on a motorcycle so I bought this for me to take her and pick her up from work. Once I had the door closed I revved the engine to life and raced towards the night club she worked at. I pulled up to the curb right outside and walked towards the bouncer by the front door. He looked at me slightly confused but let me by him.

I stepped inside a room filled with fog and flashing colored lights. Trance-techno music blared from the many speakers placed around the club. I scanned through the crowd of dancing figures till I spotted the bar. I pushed my way through the mass of bodies, my heart pounding louder than the music in my ears. A grizzled man peered up at me as he wiped a shot glass before filling it with a light purple liquid. His gray eyes watched me warily as I approached him.

"Mack," I called over the loud music, "where is Dana?"

"She's in the back room…with you," he told me.

I felt all the blood drain from my face as I ran towards the back, Mack hot on my heels. I threw the door open to see Dana standing there behind a tall, pale man. She looked at me with confusion shining in her eyes. She looked from me to the man in front of her. Said man turned to face me, a smirk on his lips. His skin was as pale as mine with hair just as dark. However, his hair had a faint blue sheen to it and was a bit shorter than mine. His eyes were the same dark red but mine were brighter. He was also a little shorter than me and stockier.

"Darrin?" Dana asked looking at me.

"Get away from her," I growled not taking my eyes off of my mirror image.

"Well hello to you too little brother," he chuckled. "You'd think that after not seeing each other for a few centuries you would be a little nicer to me."

"I said get away from her Davian," I repeated stepping forward.

"What in the hell is going on?" Dana demanded looking at both of us.

"Did you really think you could hide her from us?" Davian asked looking Dana up and down. "Father won't be too pleased with you."

"I swear to all that I stand for if you so much as hurt a single hair on her head I'll kill you!" I shouted baring my fangs.

"Best put those away," Davian purred his own fangs glinting in the light. "It would be a shame if anything happened to her."

He snapped his fingers and I could see the shadows swirl around Dana. She let out a gasp as the shadows crawled up her legs, wrapping around them. She let out a cry as the shadows snagged around her waist and wrists as well. I snarled and lunged towards her. Davian let out a laugh as the shadows behind me grabbed my legs and arms stopping me in midair. I struggled against my restraints as Dana did the same.

"Let's not get to hasty little brother," Davian scolded walking towards Dana. "Mother is waiting for you at home. I'll hold on to her for you while you two catch up."

Davian snapped his fingers again and the shadows swirled around him and Dana. Dana looked at me with scared pleading eyes as she was engulfed by darkness. The shadows restraining me melted away and I ran towards Dana and my brother. By the time I reached where they were they had disappeared into the shadows. I let out a frustrated cry and punched at the wall in front of me. My fist made contact and made a large hole. Mack walked over towards me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"I may not know what is going on exactly," he said carefully, "but it sounds like you had better get home."

**X X X**

I pulled into the driveway my hands shaking on the wheel. I got out of the car, my body feeling strangely cold. As I numbly walked up to the front door I kept seeing Dana's face in my mind. She was so afraid and I could do nothing to help her. I opened the door to see Chris standing in the entranceway. His eyes met mine and I knew he was aware of what happened. He walked over to me and gripped my shoulders tightly.

"What happened to Dana?" he demanded shaking me slightly.

"Davian came and took her," I replied my voice sounding strange to my own ears.

Chris let go of me with a curse. He paced in front of me as I fell to my knees. I could hear approaching footsteps running towards us and I looked up to see Dana's clan coming towards us. Abel looked at me, fear in his eyes. His twin brother Cain came to stand behind him, his eyes shooting daggers at me.

"I knew you were trouble," he snarled.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," I argued weakly.

"You have no idea the danger she is in," he growled stepping around Abel. "If he finds out her condition it could be the end for her."

"Dana's condition?" I echoed looking up at him. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's pregnant," Alex answered me kneeling down next to me. "She found out the day you proposed to her. She's about three months along now."

"Why didn't she tell me?" I asked rising to my feet.

"She was scared," Abel said so softly I could barely hear him. "She was scared you wouldn't want her."

"She's my Bloodmate," I spat out. "How could she think I wouldn't want her? I've been waiting my whole life for her."

"She doesn't understand that," Alex argued. "She's never had someone who loved her as much as you do. This is so new to her she didn't know how you would react. It's only natural that she'd be afraid."

"If Davian finds that out it won't end well," I said with a growl.

I ran up the stairs and towards the library. Once there I found Raven conversing with a woman all too familiar to me. She was tall and lean with dark brown hair pulled harshly back from her face and twisted into a bun. Her skin was deathly pale and was stretched over her sharp bones. She turned her icy blue eyes on me and I tried desperately not to shiver. Her mouth twisted into a disgusted smirk as she looked me up and down. I squared my shoulders back and stood to my full height. She stalked closer to me and sneered up at me.

"You disgraceful boy!" she barked. "How could you even considering touching that Emerald scum?"

"She is not scum Mother," I growled. "She is my Bloodmate and I don't think I need your permission to make her mine."

"Your father is not pleased by this," my mother sighed rubbing at her temples.

"When has he ever been pleased by me?" I asked bitterly.

"Angela," Raven sighed looking at my mother, "you need to return the girl back to her family. She is with child."

"You got that brat pregnant!" my mother shrieked her eyes seeming to bulge out of her skull. "You vile creature, how could you shame the girl like this?"

"I didn't know," I retorted. "She never told me she was pregnant."

"You still had sex with her out of marriage," Mother scolded glaring up at me. "You know that things like that are to wait for the mating ceremony."

"Look it happened and there is nothing you can do about it," I sighed looking down at her.

"I taught you better than this," she snapped, "especially about using protection you stupid boy!"

"Mama," a small high voice called, "why are you yelling at big brother?"

We all turned to see a little girl come skipping into the library. Her golden curls were pulled back from her face by a headband and her deep blue eyes sparkled. She came towards me and quickly hugged me around the waist before going to stand beside Mother. She beamed up at her before gripping onto Mother's pant leg.

"Clarisse," Mother said gently, "I thought I told you to stay with Grandpa."

"Oh my god you brought the old coot with you?" I groaned running a hand through my hair.

"WHAT DID YA SAY?" a hoarse voice boomed.

I looked over my shoulder at a stooped over old man. His hair was snow white and matched the long beard that almost trailed on the floor. His blood red eyes blinked up at me as the old man came closer. He gripped my wrist with a withered old hand. He may be old but I could still feel the strength of his youth in his grip.

"WHAT'S GOING ON ANGIE?" he asked in a raised voice.

"Nothing Father," she sighed covering her eyes with a hand.

"WHAT?" Grandpa asked cupping his other hand around his ear.

"HEY GRANDPA!" I screamed into his ear. "LONG TIME NO SEE!"

"Land sakes boy you don't have to yell at me," he scolded finally turning up his hearing aid.

"Alright," I sighed crossing my arms over my chest, "will you please tell me why you all are here and have kidnapped my fiancée?"

"You know our family rules young man," Mother said pointing her boney finger at me. "You have to get our approval before jumping into something this serious."

"Mother, the last time I spoke to any of you this country was fighting for its independence," I tried to reason. "Why would I speak to any of you after what you made me go through?"

"You always do this," Mother argued. "You always try to make us out to be the bad guys. You're my child and I love you with all my heart but I cannot take anymore of this insubordination."

"Insubordination?" I yelled. "You stood idle by while Father beat me mercilessly every day of my life. When I left you all it was for good. I was surprised you came to see me before the Games last year. And now you decide to endanger my fiancée and our future child just because I didn't tell you about her."

"Try to understand that this is for the best," Mother pleaded. "You know you have to prove yourself worthy of carrying on the family line."

"I have nothing to prove," I spat, "you all are not my family. My family is here with my clan, with Dana and her clan. They have shown me more compassion than you have since the day I was born."

Tears sprang to my mother's eyes. I blinked at her in surprise. I had never seen my mother cry in my entire life. Now to see her standing before me, crying, I felt like a complete idiot. Then I felt anger. How dare she even think of shedding a tear. She was never a good mother when I was growing up. She and Father both belittled me and treated me like a dog, preferring Davian over me. Clarissa looked up at Mother, her lower lip stuck out in a pout. Grandpa looked at her blankly before looking at me.

"It is our ways boy," he told me in a small voice.

"Our ways are young," I growled. "She is my Bloodmate. If you even considering endangering her life then the Council will deal with you. And don't think that Father's seat in there will save you all from judgment."

"Threatening me now are you?" a cold voice asked.

My heart skipped a beat and my breath caught in my throat. I turned to see a tall, powerful man walking towards us. His black hair was shorter than the last time I saw him, barely brushing his broad shoulders. His red eyes shone brightly with untold emotions as he looked at me. He towered over me, making me feel like a small child once again. I dropped my gaze to the floor trying not to show my fear.

"Bring her back to me," I demanded my voice strangely calm.

"I will," Father assured me, "once you've proven yourself worthy to care for her."

"You know I have to power to protect her," I argued glancing up at him. "You saw me fight in the Games."

"Strength and fighting skills do not prove your worth," Father spat his eyes flashing with anger.

"Then what must I do?" I asked finally meeting his eyes.

"Davian has taken her to the Shadow Realm," Father told me walking towards Mother. "If you can find her in three days time then I shall give you the next part of your test."

"And how can I enter the Realm?" I shouted at him. "I do not control the shadows. How can I create a portal?"

"With my help," Cain answered striding into the library.

Father growled at him but Cain ignored him. He stood in front of me, almost meeting my height. His dark green eyes burned into mine. I blinked at him in surprise. Out of all of Dana's brothers, Cain was the one who never warmed up to me. He still remembered all of the confusion and pain I put Dana through when I had professed my love for her. To have him offer assistance to me was surprising. I quickly reminded myself that he was only doing it for Dana, not so much for me. I nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll have to show me the way," I told him squeezing his shoulder. "The shadows are not somewhere I want to get lost in."

"It's what lurks in the shadows you need to worry about," Cain told me, "and you had better pray to whatever god you believe in that Dana is not harmed. You got her into this mess and you will get her out without so much as a scratch."

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><p><strong>AN: **Don't worry guys, Dana and the baby are gonna be ok...although there is going to be a twist with this pregnancy. Nice to see that Cain is gonna help Darrin out. Reviews are welcome and accepted...I have cupcakes for anyone that reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Well here is Chapter 2! Just to recap Dana has been kidnapped by Darrin's twin brother Davian. He has taken her to the Shadow Realm and it's Darrin's job to find her so he can begin his task of proving himself worthy to marry her. God Darrin's dad is a dick :P

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

I stood there in the library next to Cain as he concentrated on the shadows surrounding us. His eyes had become much darker than before as he muttered something under his breath. The rest of Dana's clan had all wandered into the library and glanced over at my family. Father was fuming silently with Mother fussing around him. Chris was glaring at my father with so much hatred I could feel it seeping into my bones. Abel was clinging to Alex's side watching his brother with interest. Once Cain had summoned up enough shadows he altered them into a swirling portal. He looked over his shoulder at me in triumph.

"Once I go in how do I get out?" I asked glancing from him to the dark portal.

"Your brother will bring you and the girl back to us," Father answered me in a rough voice. "I shall decide then what you shall do next."

I nodded stiffly at him and stepped into the portal. An icy chill ran down my spine as I walked further into the shadows. I repressed a shiver as the shadows enclosed around me, completely blocking off the real world behind me. Once I was all the way through I found myself in a strange land. There was absolutely no color. The few trees scattered about were a mix of dark and light grays. The sky above me was a void of white providing some light to this dark land. There was an unsettling silence, the only sound coming from my feet crunching the dry grass beneath them.

I could see things moving around me, lurking in the ever present shadows that shrouded the area. I tried to quell my growing fear as I walked through this silent, gray world. Something darted towards me on my right and I reacted quickly. I caught the fast shadow on the shoulder—at least I think it was a shoulder—and threw it to the ground. Surprisingly red eyes gleamed up at me as the creature let out a small hiss.

"I have come to show you the way," it hissed its shadowy form coming into shape.

A slender girl with curling black horns poking out of her hair stood before me. Her skin was an ashy gray and she was dressed in flowing black clothes. Her eyes were the only color I found in this world, a bright red that matched mine.

"Who are you?" I asked taking a step away from her.

"I am one of Davian's subordinates," she told me in her hissing voice. "He has sent me to show you the way. Despite what you make believe he wishes to assist you and your mate."

I looked at her warily before giving her a curt nod. She smirked back at me and sauntered off motioning for me to follow her. I kept my distance as she led me further through the Shadow Realm. The unnerving silence that had greeted me when I arrived was broken by various hisses and growls as we roamed across the seemingly deserted terrain. She stopped at turned around to face me. She pointed up a steep hill to a small cottage at the top, a thin line of smoke trailing up towards the sky from its chimney.

"There awaits your brother and your love," she told me.

"Thank you," I replied walking past her and up towards the cottage.

Once I arrived at the top I was greeted by Davian. He stood there, his arms crossed over his chest, a sullen expression on his face. He said nothing as he turned and opened the door to the cottage. I followed him inside to see Dana sitting on the floor by a roaring fire. Her eyes were downcast and staring into the flames. She looked up when I shut the door and her face lit up. She ran towards me and wrapped her arms tightly around me. I embraced her and kissed the top of her head.

"I thought I would never see you again," she said her voice muffled as she buried her face in my chest.

"You knew I would come for you," I chuckled softly rubbing her back soothingly. "Always know that I will come for you no matter what."

She said nothing but held on to me tighter. I heard a small sniffle as Dana's small frame began to shake. I shushed her as I buried one of my hands in her silky curls. Her shoulders began to heave as she sobbed into my chest. I pulled her back a little to look at her face. Her eyes were shiny with tears and the tip of her nose had started to turn red. I smiled gently down at her as I wiped away her tears cupping her cheek in my hand. She nuzzled into the touch and smiled back at me. I pulled her back a little further as I looked her over.

I could now see the changes her body was making to prepare for the baby. Her hips were a little wider and curvier and there was a gentle swell to her stomach. I reached down and covered the small bump with my hand. Her eyes grew wide as she stepped away from me. Her surprised expression turned to one of desperation and shame. I smiled reassuringly at her before pulling her back into my arms.

"Why didn't you tell me when you found out?" I asked her stroking her hair softly.

"I was afraid you wouldn't want the baby," she whispered looking away from me. "I thought that you wouldn't want a child right now seeing as how our relationship had just started."

"How could you think I wouldn't want this?" I scolder her laughing under my breath. I placed my hand over her baby bump once more and subconsciously rubbed my thumb against it. "I would love nothing more than to have a family with you. I would have liked a little more time but this is a blessing and I am more than happy to accept it."

"This is all very touching," Davian said making me look away from Dana, "but we have a situation on our hands."

"And that would be?" Dana asked stepping around me to face my brother.

"Our family is not all that pleased by this relationship," he told her meeting her gaze. "Father has not been very happy with you ever since what happened last year. And now that he knows your pregnant things aren't going to go so well."

"He wouldn't try to hurt me would he?" Dana asked bringing a hand to rest on the gentle swell of her stomach.

"He might," Davian answered bluntly causing me to snarl as I wrapped an arm around Dana. "If Darrin can't pass his test then he will kill you and your baby."

Dana let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her other hand. I looked down at her with concern. She looked back at me with the same expression. I covered her hand with mine, feeling her tremble. I could see tears swimming in her beautiful eyes and I gently kissed her cheek and forced a smile.

"I won't let that happen," I assured her. "He will never touch you or our child."

"I don't know," Davian said with a sigh. "Father's tests are hard to beat. You may not come out of this victorious little brother."

"I will," I growled glaring at him. "If living with this family has taught me anything is to figure a way out of any situation. I will pass his stupid little test and I will marry Dana and we will raise our child as far away from him as possible."

Davian let out a long sigh pinching the bridge of his nose. He shut his eyes tightly as he stood there breathing deeply. Dana looked up at me, her sad expression breaking my heart. Davian opened his eyes and looked at the two of us.

"You really love her," he stated simply.

"She's my Bloodmate," I told him never taking my eyes off of Dana. "I have been waiting for her all my life."

"I'm surprised she agreed to marry you," Davian said with a chuckle. "I mean after seeing what an ass you can be I would think she'd run and never look back."

"He can be a handful," Dana agreed laughing lightly, "but I know how to put him in his place."

We all shared a brief laugh before there was a light tap at the door. Davian waved his hand and the door flung open to reveal the girl that had led me here. She walked into the room and looked us all over. She turned to face her master and sunk into a low bow.

"What is it Sheba?" Davian snapped.

"Forgive my intruding," Sheba said never coming out of her bow, "but your father has sent a message asking what has become of Darrin. I sent one back saying he successfully found you and his fiancée. His reply wasn't a very pleased one."

"What did he say?" Davian asked crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"He wishes for you to open a portal so he may address your brother in person," she replied finally straightening up.

Davian sighed and waved his hand again. The shadows lurking in the dark corners of the cottage swirled around much like they had in the library and a small opening appeared letting a bright light stream into the room. Sheba shrunk away from it with a snarl and ran out the door. I could see three figures walking through and could make out the powerful form of my father. He, my mother, and Chris all stepped through the portal and into the small room of the cottage. Dana let out a small cry and ran towards Chris. His arms closed around her as he held her tightly. Mother and Father stood stiffly by Davian as we all looked upon the warming scene.

"Are you alright?" Chris asked as he pulled Dana from his embrace.

"I'm fine," she assured him with a smile. "I just hope all this shadow travel doesn't hurt the baby."

"It won't," Davian answered her with a shrug. "You travel through shadows everyday and don't realize it. All it may do is give the fetus the ability to control the shadows when it's older."

"Fetuses you mean," Chris told him looking over Dana's head to meeting his eyes. "Harrison called me with Dana's last test results. It showed that you are having triplets."

"That means I'm having three babies!" Dana shrieked her eyes growing wide. She whipped her head around and glared up at me. "You are an awful person."

"How am I supposed to control how many babies you have?" I defended myself. "You're forgetting that it takes two to make one baby as well as three."

Dana let out a huff as she turned to face my father. He glared down at her, his nostrils flaring. Dana glared back just as fierce as she clenched her fists at her side. My mother looked between the two and over at me raising her brow. I shrugged my shoulders and went to stand beside Dana. I wrapped an arm around her slender waist and pulled her to my side. She turned her body towards mine and wrapped her arms around me, never taking her eyes off of my father.

"I see you found her," he said finally breaking eye contact with Dana.

"Yes," I said stiffly. "Now what do I have to do to _prove_ myself."

"Her birth parents are dead?" Father questioned. I nodded once and Dana cast her eyes down, she shoulders slumping slightly. She didn't like being reminded that she was by definition an orphan. "Then you must seek their approval to marry their daughter."

"And how pray tell can I do that?" I asked narrowing my eyes.

"You have to seek out the Land of Lost Souls," he explained pacing back and forth. "Once you have found the location you must travel into its depths and seek out the parted souls of her parents. You must then bring them to me so that I can be sure you really completed the task. I'll give you two months to pass my test. Then and only then can you begin your life with the girl."

Silence filled the small room as we all stared at my father. His eyes met mine and a smug smile spread across his face. Dana looked up at me, her expression unreadable. I looked down at her trying to find the right words to say. Chris looked at us both sadly as did my mother. Davian stared blankly into the fire. I let out a long drawn out sigh before looking back at my father.

"Alright," I said, "I accept your challenge."

**X X X**

Finally back at the mansion, I stood in the weapon's room staring at the vast collection. I had already armed myself with a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Strapped to my back along with the bow and arrows was a large broadsword. A dirk hung at my hip along with several small daggers. I was debating on what else I should take when Dana walked into the room. She looked up at me sadly as she came closer. I felt her small arms wrap around me as she nuzzled her face into my chest. I buried my face in her hair and breathed in her sweet scent.

"Do you really have to do this?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yes," I sighed. "If I want to assure a secure life for you and the children I must do this."

"But it is impossible," she whispered her voice shaking slightly.

"Nothing is impossible," I said gently taking her face in my hands and making her look at me. "You taught me that."

She gave me a small smile before standing on her toes and bringing her lips up to mine. I kissed her back gently, my hands sliding into her hair. Her arms came up and wrapped around my neck pulling me closer and deepening the kiss. We broke apart and she smiled at me, a light blush dusting her cheeks. I chuckled softly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She smile faltered as her eyes filled with tears.

"I don't want you to go," she said sadly. "Why can't your family just leave us alone?"

"They would have found out somehow," I told her wiping away the tears that cascaded down her face. "And it's not like we can run from them."

"Why not?" she whined her eyes pleading with me.

"They would find us and take you away from me," I said softly, "all of you. I couldn't stand it if anything were to happen to you…or our children."

"I hate your family," she huffed her eyebrows knitting together.

"They all aren't bad," I assured her. "My sister is still filled with sweet innocence and my grandfather is quite hysterical at times. As for Davian, he is my brother and I hold some respect for him. Mother means well…I think. And Father has always been like this."

"When you come back and the children are born he is never to see them," she told me firmly her expression hardening. "From what you've told me of your childhood he was a cruel man."

I only nodded as I pulled her closer to me. She sighed and rested her cheek on my chest. I rubbed soothing circles on her lower back as we gently swayed from side to side. I looked up as another presence entered the room. Davian leaned against the doorframe not looking at us. I raised one brow in question and his eyes met mine.

"It's time," he told me before pushing off of the doorframe and walking down the hall.

I looked down at Dana and she looked up at me sadly. We walked out of the room and down the hall, our hands held tightly in the others. Her fingers threaded through mine and she squeezed my hand gently. I returned the squeeze as we walked into the library. Cain and Davian stood side by side while the rest of our families stood around the large room. Chris smiled at us reassuringly as did Abel. Clarissa beamed up at me from my mother's side while my father glared over her head. Grandpa was standing in the center of the room, for once standing to his full height. I could still see the powerful, strong young man he had once been before the hands of time caught him it its cruel grip.

"You understand the task presented to you?" he asked me in a strong voice.

"Yes," I replied letting go of Dana's hand and stepping towards him.

"Two months is all you have," he told me sternly. "If you do not return on the 11th of the second month, then the fate of your mate falls with us. Should you return beyond that date, you can do nothing once we have made our decision, our word is final."

I nodded once and squared my shoulders back. Grandpa looked me over once before nodding as well and stepping to the side. Cain and Davian both held up their hands, a look of concentration coming over their features. A sudden surge of energy and darkness filled the room as a strange light appeared before them. I watched as slowly a glowing portal opened before me. I could see nothing past the blinding light that spilled from the opening.

"Go through the portal and you shall be in the Land of Lost Souls," Father told me coming forward. He held out something in his clenched hand. I stepped towards him, holding out my own hand. He dropped in it a faintly glowing black stone. "Once you have the girl's parents break open this stone and it shall return you here. Remember: two months is all you have."

I nodded and put the stone in a leather pouch hanging from my belt. Raven walked towards me, a black pack in her hands. I took it and opened it to find food, extra weapons, supplies to make a fire, and sleeping gear. I nodded to her in thanks and she went back to stand with my clan. Dana rushed towards me and pulled me down into a hard kiss. I wrapped my free arm around her and held on tightly as I kissed her back. She pulled away and I could see new tears sliding down her face. She walked away from me and into Abel's arms. She turned her face into his chest and cried quietly into his shirt.

I looked at her longingly before walking towards the portal. Davian and Cain's face showed the strain of holding the portal open, a light sheen of sweat forming on their brows. I quickly ran through the portal the warmth of Dana's lips still lingering on mine.

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><p><strong>AN: **Land of Lost Souls sounds like a cool band name….maybe I should learn to play an instrument and get some singing lessons and start one up hahaha. I wonder how hard it is to find two dead people…guess you'll have to wait till next time to find out! And yes, Dana is having triplets. Here soon I'll be asking you all for name suggestions so be looking out for that. Reviews are like kittens which make me smile…so make me smile and review!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Here is Chapter 3. When we last left Darrin he was traveling to the Land of Lost Souls to find Dana's parents. How hard can it be to find two dead people? Let's find out…

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

**One Month Later**

I glared down at the map Raven had packed away for me. I pressed the red marker held in my hand to the paper and placed an X over another chamber displayed on the map. I sighed and closed my eyes leaning back against the rough stone wall of the cave I had found. I had been searching this cursed place of a month now. Half of my time was gone and I still had not found the inner chamber. I opened my eyes and stared into the fire I had made. My whole body was aching along with my head. Going into this task, I was filled with this unwavering hope that I would find Dana's parents and return within a week. When a week had passed I started to doubt myself. Could I really find her parents? Did I make the right choice when I asked her to marry me? I knew that my family would become involved and that I would have to prove myself worthy to have such a wonderful woman like Dana in my life.

A sudden wind blew through the cave, the flames from the fire almost diminishing from the powerful gust of air. I shivered slightly and pulled out the thick blanket tucked away in my bag. I let out a sigh when the wind finally stopped and my fire was still blazing. I slumped against the wall of the cave weakly, a wave of exhaustion settling over me. I could feel my eyelids start to droop and I fought against the comforting hand of sleep. Despite all my efforts my eyes closed and I began to fall into a world of dreamless sleep.

**X X X**

I awoke to a chorus of hushed voices echoing in my cave. I scanned my eyes through my surrounds my hand inching towards one of the small daggers I had brought with me. My fire had died down, the burning embers casting an eerie glow providing enough light for me to see by. I spotted three small figures at the mouth of the cave. My eyes narrowed as I relaxed my body giving off the impression of sleep.

"You all are being too loud," a young male voice scolded. "He almost woke up."

"What is he?" a high pitched female voice asked in fear.

"Yeah," another female voice echoed, "and why is he all the way down here?"

"Well he isn't dead," the male voice answered. The sound of small footsteps reached my ears and I could see one of the figures cautiously approaching me through my narrowed eyes. "Yeah his chest is moving and I think I can hear his heartbeat."

"That doesn't tell us why he's here," one of the female voices snapped.

"Maybe if you ask him yourself you wouldn't have to ask each other questions you can't answer," I told them with a smirk opening my eyes fully.

Crouched on the other side of my fire was a small boy. His eyes were wide as he looked at me, fear shining in the dark gray orbs. Two young girls were standing behind him with the same fearful expression. I gave them all a warm smile and gestured for them to come forward. The girls looked at each other hesitantly and then back at the boy. His chest swelled up as he sucked in a deep breath before crawling closer to me. His skin was ghostly pale and glowed in the dim firelight. His dark hair fell to his shoulders limply and it looked like he hadn't had a good meal in quite some time. The girls were in similar conditions but seemed to be a bit more well-fed than the boy.

"What's your name?" the boy asked warily his eyes darting to the weapons laid out beside me.

"Darrin Cobalt," I replied, "what's yours?"

"It's Lucian," he said simply. "Those two are Lydia and Holly."

The two girls raised a timid hand in gesture before quickly dropping their hands to their side. I smiled at them and waved at them. Lucian's brows knitted together as he gave me a once over. He stood up and skinny legs and walked towards me till he was right by my side. I looked up at him from my sitting position and quirked a brow. He leaned down till his face was inches from mine. His gray eyes looked deep into mine. He looked down quickly at the map I had left out before falling asleep.

"Where are you trying to go?" he asked gently picking up the paper.

"The inner chamber," I replied with a sigh. "I've been looking for it for a month now and I have to get there before another month is gone."

"Why?" Lydia asked stepping a bit closer to me and Lucian.

"If I don't find this chamber then someone I care about deeply will be in big trouble," I told her with a frown.

"Who's that?" Holly asked excitedly coming to stand by Lucian.

"Her name is Dana," I told her softly. "I want to marry her but in order to do so I have to find her parents and bring them before my father."

"What happens if you don't find them before a month is out?" Lucian asked taking his eyes off of my map for a moment.

"I don't know," I said looking to the dying embers of my fire. "It won't be good though. Plus she's going to have my babies soon and I want to make sure they can be brought into this world."

"You're gonna be a daddy?" Lydia asked in childlike wonder.

"Yes," I chuckled giving her a brief smile.

Lucian looked up at me and folded the map up gently. He handed it to me and looked over at the girls. They looked back at him and a silent conversation ensued between the three of them. I watched with mild amusement before Lucian smiled in triumph. His eyes were bright when he turned back to face me, his small hands gripping the sleeve of my shirt.

"I can show you the way," he told me excitedly.

"You can?" I asked in a mix of hope and disbelief.

"Yeah," he replied nodding his head vigorously. "We live down here you know. I can take you to the inner chamber. It's not that far from where we are now."

I stood to my feet quickly forcing Lucian to crane his head back to look up at me. Lydia and Holly shrunk back in mild fear as I stood to my full height. Lucian beamed up at me as he started to gather my things and toss them into my bag. I stopped him from touching the weapons as I decked myself out in them. He watched as I slid the straps for the bow, quiver, and broadsword over my head and across my chest. I attached the belt with the dirk dangling from it and slipped the daggers into their sheaths. I looked over to see Lucian whispering something to the girls. Holly was crying silently and Lydia's face held an expression of concern. Lucian hugged them both tightly before rushing to my side.

"Alright," he said puffing out his chest, "follow me and stay close."

He quickly darted to the mouth of the cave and looked over his shoulder at me. I couldn't help but smirk as I jogged to keep up with him. Soon I was running after Lucian as he led me down twisting winding tunnels and passageways. My heart hammered in my chest and my breath came out in quick bursts. Lucian looked over his shoulder at me and threw his head back in laughter. He looked back ahead of him and charged towards a rough stone wall. I watched with wide eyes as he ran up the wall, using the rough stones up the wall as hand and foot holds. I took a deep breath as I sped up and followed him upwards. At the top was small opening.

"All we have to do is crawl through here and then we'll find the entrance to the inner chamber," Lucian told me with a bright smile.

"Think I'll fit?" I asked eyeing the small tunnel entrance.

"I've seen things bigger than you crawl through here," he replied rolling his eyes. "You'll be just fine."

I was about to ask him what kind of things he had seen but he slipped into the tunnel on his hands and knees. I shook my head and let out a long sigh before dropping to the ground and followed after the boy. It was an incredibly tight squeeze for me but I was able to crawl through the pitch black tunnel. Lucian would stop on occasion to make sure I was still behind him before continuing to shuffle on his hands and knees. We traveled this way for hours until a bright light emanated from the tunnel's exit. Lucian let out a small laugh before crawling faster.

"Lucian wait," I called after him trying to catch up. "You said that creatures crawl through here. There may be one on the other side."

"And what do you propose we do?" he asked his small form allowing him to turn and face me.

"Can you squeeze behind me?" I asked him.

He nodded and I pressed myself as close to the tunnel wall as possible. Lucian managed to push his small body behind me and I led us towards the exit. Once I poked my head out I saw we were in a huge cavern. I saw that the floor gently sloped downward and led to a path leading further down to where I had no clue. I looked quickly around sensing for any creatures that may be lurking in the shadows. I crawled out of the tunnel and stood to my feet, stretching out my cramped muscles. Lucian shuffled out and smiled brightly up at me.

"All we have to do is go down that path and we'll find the inner chamber," he told me pointing down the path. "That's where all the souls of the dead live. I don't know if vampires go here when they die though.

"I never told you I was a vampire," I said trying to hide my surprise.

"You didn't have to," Lucian responded with a chuckle. "Your eyes told me everything I needed to know. I'm a lot smarter than I look."

"So you can recognize a vampire by their eyes," I mused aloud, "how though?"

"Well," Lucian said staring off in thought, "vampire eyes kinda look like gemstones. They're a lot shinier and brighter than humans. They really look like someone stuck ruby or an onyx stone in someone's face."

"You really are a lot smarter than you look," I said ruffling his hair.

Lucian laughed and pushed my hand away. At the same time, a chilling shriek filled the cavern. We both froze and looked around trying to locate the source of the noise. We looked up as a dark shape descended from the air above us. A huge black creature swooped down its sharp claws glinting in the dim light. Large bat-like wings sprouted from its back and sent powerful gusts of wind down at us. I wrapped an arm around Lucian and pulled him back as the creature landed. Its glowing red eyes gleamed down at us as it parted its jaw to let out another terrible shriek. I pushed Lucian away from me and the creature and reached for my bow and an arrow. As I shot at the beast, I channeled my inner flame into the arrow making it burst into flame as it pierced the oversized bat thing.

It shrieked again and clawed at the still flaming arrow stuck in its chest. It stumbled back and hit the cavern wall hard. The ground quaked beneath my feet and I looked up to see rocks falling from the hidden cavern ceiling. The huge rocks crashed down and fell onto the beast. Its shrieked was cut short as it was buried. The resulting rock slide caused the entire cavern to shake. Lucian scrambled over to me and quickly pushed me down the path as more rocks fell around us. I hit the ground and rolled further down the path, covering my head as rocks still fell from the sky. By the time I was all over I slowly lifted my and looked through the thick clouds of dust and dirt that had been churned up. My heart dropped painfully when I was finally able to see through the thick clouds blurring my vision.

Lucian was lying motionless on the ground, his small body half buried by rocks. I quickly rushed to his side and began to carefully push the rocks off of him. He let out a weak moan as I pulled him the rest of the way out. He opened his eyes slowly as I cradled him in my arms. He had never looked so young and fragile as he did now, his small form crushed and bleeding. He managed to smile up at me and I tried to swallow pas the lump in my throat.

"Tell me about this girl you love so much," he requested in a weak voice.

"Her name is Dana," I whispered softly. "She has the prettiest green eyes you've ever seen. And her hair is this fiery red that looks so beautiful in the sunlight. And when she smiles it almost breaks your heart with its beauty."

"She sounds nice," he whispered back his eyes falling closed. "Does she have any talents?"

"She sings," I answered. "It sounds like the angels when she sings. And she can cook anything you want. Her food is the best I've ever tasted. And she's really good at gardening. She loves flowers. Her favorite is a sunflower."

"I've never seen a flower before," Lucian said a little sadly.

"You would love to see her garden. It's filled with them," I told him as a tear slid down my face.

"Maybe…one day I can," he said with a sigh. He slumped in my arms, whatever life he had left in him finally letting go. I choked on a sob as I gently shook him.

"Don't you die on me now," I begged as more tears fell down my cheeks. "Come on and open your eyes. Don't you dare die. You have to wake up. We're so close we can't stop now. Come one Lucian, wake up!"

I gave him one more hard shake before slumping over his lifeless body. I sat there over this small boy that I had just met and cried. My shoulders shook with each sob as the tears fell freely. This stupid little kid agreed to go this journey with me after just meeting me. He knew nothing about me other than I wanted and needed help to save someone I love. He didn't ask any questions, just jumped right into the thick of things. I stopped crying and wiped away the last of my tears.

I carefully moved Lucian's body to the side and pulled out one of my daggers. I began to plunge it into the hard, packed earth in front of me. Once I had it loosened up I began to dig my hands into the dirt digging a shallow hole with my hands and dagger. Once it was deep enough I carefully placed Lucian's body down into it and began to push the dirt back in. I tried not to look as slowly I covered his body with dirt. After I finished the job I grabbed one of the smaller rocks to mark his grave. I sat there feeling numb as I stared at the grave I had just made. Slowly, I stood on my feet and walked down the path towards my goal.

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><p><strong>AN: **Poor Lucian :( so young and full of life. But he had to die for the sake of the story. Now on to happier things I have a little request from my faithful readers. As you all know Dana is having triplets…so I need some help with coming up with baby combinations. Now, one has to be a boy for purposes that I will reveal later. So here are your options:

A) 2 girls and a boy

B) All boys

I await your answer! Please review and you shall be given many praises and cookies!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I would like to thank you all for your suggestions. Especially to an Indigo Grey who was kind enough to suggest baby names…love how your mind works! So poor little Lucian is dead and Darrin is soooo close to his goal. Let's see how's he's doing!

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

I walked slowly down the winding path a cold feeling seeping throughout my body. I had let an innocent boy die because of my idiot father. A sudden wave of rage surged through me and I clenched my hands into fists. This was all his fault. If he had never come along then I wouldn't have to prove myself worthy to marry Dana. My rage was replaced by guilt at the realization that I didn't try hard enough to keep Dana out of my family business. If I had been more careful and alert then they wouldn't have found out about her or our engagement.

I stopped in my tracks as the guilt washed over me. If only I had been able to shield Dana from my family then they would have never found out about us and Lucian would have never died. I covered my eyes with a hand as I fell against the rough stone wall. I let out a sigh and blinked back the unshed tears that stung my eyes. I began to walk again, a little faster at the rage I still felt towards my father. I barely noticed the path ended until I was falling through empty space.

I let out a yell as I turned my body and tried to grab the stone wall rushing past me. I looked down to see the ground coming swiftly up to meet me. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the impact. I felt something icy cold circle around my waist halting me in midair. I opened my eyes to see the ground just a few feet below me. I looked to see where the icy chill was coming from to see a transparent arm wrapped tightly around me. I looked over my shoulder to see a man with curly hair holding me up. Something was strangely familiar about him but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"You alright there?" he asked smiling at me.

"I think so," I gasped as he set me on my feet.

His smile was familiar and I cocked my head to the side as I looked him over. He was about as tall as me, but very slender and incredibly lanky. His curly hair fell into his eyes and he shook them back as he stared back. His eyes were dark but very friendly. He reached out a hand.

"My name is Cal," he told me smiling again. I noticed that his eyes crinkled up at the corners.

"Darrin Cobalt," I replied taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.

"Cal? Where did you go?" a soft voice called out.

"Over here darling," Cal called over his shoulder.

A small, slender woman walked over to us and my eyes grew wide when she came into view. Her hair was long and fell down her back straight as an arrow, framing her heart-shaped face…and as red as blood. Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled up at Cal and her skin was as pale as milk. My mouth fell open as I looked her up and down. She was the spitting image of Dana. She noticed me looking at her and pouted her full lips the same way Dana did when I looked at her.

"Who is your friend?" she asked wrapping her arms around Cal's waist.

"This is Darrin Cobalt," Cal answered brightly still smiling. "Darrin this is my wife Stella."

"You look like Dana," I thought aloud.

"What did you say?" Stella asked her eyes growing wide.

Cal looked at me with the same amount of surprise as his wife. I looked over at him and realized that Dana had the same eye shape as him as well as the same smile. Still, she looked exactly like Stella. She was even the same height as my Dana.

"Dana," I repeated. "Does that name sound familiar to you?"

"We had a daughter once," Cal said sadly, "that was the name we gave her before this woman came in and ended our lives."

"How do you know what Dana looks like?" Stella asked her eyes fierce.

"She's my fiancée," I answered. "I was sent here by my father to prove that I was worthy enough to marry her."

"What became of her?" Cal asked his arm going around his wife.

"She was adopted by a man named Christopher Savior," I told them. "She's fine other than the fact that she's pregnant and in danger if I don't return with you two."

They both looked at each other. I watched them as they appeared to communicate silently between each other. Stella's eyes darted towards me on occasion as did Cal's. Finally they looked back at me. Cal came forward but kept a hand on his wife's hip. I looked at him hopefully.

"What do you need from us?" he asked.

"I need your permission to marry your daughter," I said firmly straightening to my full height.

"And why should we allow that?" Stella asked her eyes narrowing.

"Look," I began finding the right words, "I am a vampire as is your daughter. We believe in something called a Bloodmate. What this means is that they are basically our soul mate. They are our other half. Without them we feel incomplete. I have lived for over 500 years and until I met Dana I never felt whole. She came into my life and brought with her this warm light that filled my very soul. I love her with all my heart and wish to do anything to make her happy. Without her I don't see any point of living."

"You made it all this way just to get an answer from us?" Cal asked.

"No," I replied, "I came here for Dana."

"You seem like a strong young man," Cal said looking me up and down. "You really do love her don't you?" I nodded and he smiled. "We heard your little scuffle with the hellbat and we saw what you did for that boy. You felt compassion towards someone you had just met and even cried over their death. You have a kind heart. I'm sure our daughter would be well taken care of in your hands. I see no reason why you can't marry her."

I smiled back at him and looked over at Stella. Her face was stern like her husband's before he spoke to me. She walked closer to me, tilting her head back to stare up at me. I looked back, subconsciously slumping my shoulders to shrink myself like I did for Dana. She looked just like her that it shocked me to my core. Her eyes looked me up and down slowly causing me to shiver slightly.

"How is my daughter?" she asked softly.

"As far as I know fine," I told her, "although she is pregnant."

"Well then I supposed you need to make an honest woman out of her," she said crossing her arms over her chest.

"What?" I asked bewildered.

She just smiled and nodded putting her arms around me suddenly. I was pulled into a tight hug as she held on to me her eyes closed. Hesitantly I hugged her back, glancing over at Cal. He just smiled the same smile Dana had and nodded as well. I slowly smiled back and picked Stella off of her feet and swung her around. She let out a shriek of laughter and was still laughing when I set her back on her feet.

"So how do we get to your father?" she asked smiling.

"With this," I answered pulling out the glowing black stone from my pocket.

I held tightly to Stella's hand as she grabbed a hold of Cal's. I gave her small hand a squeeze as I threw the stone to the ground and brought my foot down upon it. It cracked and emitted a dark purple smoke that surrounded us. I closed my eyes and held tightly to Stella's hand as the smoke circled around us. When I opened my eyes the smoke had cleared and we were standing in the library back at the mansion. Stella and Cal looked around with wide eyes. I looked up when I heard someone gasp from the doorway.

Dana stood there, her belly swollen with child and protruding from her small body. She ran towards me with more speed than I imagined her to have in this state and threw her arms around my neck. I put my around her waist as she kissed my face, my neck, and anywhere else she could. Tears ran down her face as she held onto me tightly. I kissed them away and gently kissed her lips. She smiled against mine and pulled me down to deepen the kiss.

"I thought you would never come back," she whispered against my lips.

"I told you that I would come for you," I scolded lightly. "And I brought some people for you to meet."

Dana peered around me and stared at her parents. Her arms slid down from my neck as she walked towards them. Her father gazed lovingly down at her while her mother cried silent tears and smiled. Dana looked at each of them for several minutes before reaching up and gently touching her father's cheek.

"Mom? Dad?" she asked softly.

"Yes," Stella whispered her voice thick with tears.

"It's really us sweetie," Cal said gently.

Dana let out a soft sob as she buried her face in Cal's chest. He held onto her tightly closing his eyes as tears spilled down his face. Stella came up behind Dana and wrapped her arms around the two of them kissing the top of Dana's head. I watched with soft eyes at the tender scene. I turned when I heard someone walking into the room to see my brother and father standing there. Davian smiled at me and clapped me on the shoulder. Father looked over at Dana and her parents, a sneer marring his face.

"I see you found them," he said his voice dripping with dread.

"Yes," I replied coolly, "so I guess that means I've passed."

"Not quite yet," my father said shaking his head back and forth. "I still need to know they gave you permission."

"Oh we have," Cal responded looking over Dana and his wife. "And I have bone to pick with you. Who do you think you are? You had the nerve to endanger my daughter when she is in such a critical state." Father's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as Cal stepped around the two crying, hugging women and came towards him. "I for one think that enforcing such strict rules upon your family creates a hostile environment in which your children will try to defy you at every turn."

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" my father snapped his eyes flashing dangerously.

"I believe I am talking to a rather weak and insecure man who takes out his insecurity out on the ones close to him," Cal answered calmly. No one in the room said anything. I looked over at Davian to see a shocked look on his face. "I have given this fine young man permission to marry my daughter. I feel that he has done everything within his power and much more to ensure her safety and happiness. I am allowing him to marry my daughter because he is a strong, outstanding young man. And looking at you and the kind of man you are, I am rather pleased to see that Darrin is nothing like you at all."

Dana beamed up at me, tears still shining in her eyes. She kissed her mother on the cheek before coming to stand in front of me. I smiled down at her and placed a hand on her baby belly. I felt sudden movement and something small and strong bump against my hand. Dana looked at my hand on her stomach and smiled up at me brightly. I let out a small laugh before looking at my father. Mother and slipped into the room during Cal's little speech. She looked over at me and Dana, at Dana's parents, and at my father.

"Fine then," my father snarled through gritted teeth. He turned his eyes towards me, his gaze suddenly becoming soft and almost warm. "You really are a fine man Darrin. I know you'll be a good husband and a wonderful father. I hope one day you can forgive me for what I've done."

"That won't be happening anytime soon," I growled pulling Dana closer to my side.

"Be that as it may," my father sighed, "please call upon us when she gives birth, which should be very soon seeing as how she's five months along."

I didn't say anything and instead looked over at Dana's parents. They smiled fondly at me and Dana before turning and walking off, disappearing into thin air. Dana watched them leave with a sad smile before her face scrunched up in confusion. She looked over at my father, walking away from me with one hand on her lower back and one on her stomach.

"If I'm five months along," Dana began, "then why would I have to call upon you soon? I still have four months to go."

"Not quite," my mother chuckled. "Didn't anyone tell you the gestation period for vampires is six months?"

"Six months!" Dana cried whipping around to glare at me. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought someone told you," I said holding my hands up to defend myself if necessary.

"Don't worry dear," my mother said placing a hand on her shoulder. "I should have spoken with you about this before but every time I tried you would glare at me and growl."

Dana blushed and looked down at her feet at a loss of words. I went to her and rubbed her back gently. I glanced over at my mother to see her pouting slightly. She noticed me looking and turned her face away from me. Father stared blankly at me one of his arms around my mother's waist. Davian smirked at me and walked towards us, his hands clasped behind his back.

"I hope you aren't thinking of implementing a family ban so close to her due date," he said still smirking. "I don't know about you but her doctor may not get here in time when it comes to push. Mom's pretty good a delivering multiples…I mean she got us both out even with your big head."

"Fine," I sighed looking down at Dana, "you all can stay here till the babies are born. After that I want you all out of my life."

Father nodded stiffly and pulled my mother from the room. She glanced over her shoulder once at us before allowing my father to lead her away. Davian gave us a real smile before walking out after our parents. I looked down at Dana and her eyes met mine. She looked at me lovingly and took my hand, placing it on her stomach. I looked down at her small hand covering mine as I felt the three small lives moving around inside of her.

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><p><strong>AN: **If you all haven't guessed the next chapter we shall have three new characters joining this tale! I'm keeping what I have decided a secret for now and you all will have to wait for the next chapter to see the genders and names I've picked out! Please remember to leave a review!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Here it is…Chapter 5. And the long awaited scene…the birth of Darrin and Dana's children. Are you all ready to see them? I hope you approve :)

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

**Two Weeks Later**

I was woken up by Dana's body jerking upward. A pained gasp followed and my eyes flew open. Dana was hunched over clutching at her stomach. She was panting and her eyes were screwed shut in pain. I sat up and rubbed her back, not quite knowing what was happening.

"The babies," she gasped her eyes opening to look at me. "I think they're coming."

I nodded and quickly jumped out of bed, careful not to jolt Dana too much. She leaned back against the pillows still wearing a pained expression. I ran from our room and down the hall to where we had put my mother and father. I banged on the door my heart hammering in my chest. My father opened the door, his hair still ruffled from sleep. He blinked the sleep from his eyes as he looked at me.

"Dana's gone into labor," I said hurriedly.

Mother was by my father's side in an instant. She shoved me out of the way and ran down the hall to our room where a scream of pain sounded from. I started to follow my mother when a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned to look at my father to see him quickly shake his head.

"Trust me when I say that you do not want to go in there," he said in a grave voice. He pointed to a faint jagged scar on his neck. I had seen it several times in my youth but never questioned where he might have gotten it. "Your mother gave me this when I tried to be there for your birth. When female vampires go into labor, things get very messy."

I felt the color drain from my face as the rest of the house woke up with Dana's screams. Abel clung to his brother and looked towards our room with terror. Chris was on the phone trying to get a hold of Harrison. Mother came out of the room, her hands bloodstained. She looked at Raven and pulled her into the room slamming the door behind them. Davian walked over to me and squeezed my shoulder.

"She'll be fine," he told me with a smirk.

I only nodded and went to sit by the door. After about an hour Harrison came running down the hall and into the room, shutting the door. I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them…and waited…and waited…and waited. Raven came out of the room a few hours later and ran down the hall. I watched her leave and peeked around the door frame into the room. Dana was propped up against the head board, her hair dark with sweat. Her eyes were screwed shut and her breath came out in short pants. I was startled by the large amount of blood on the sheets and Harrison's hands. Raven came back a minute later with a pot of hot water and some towels. The door was shut again leaving me and everyone else sitting in the hall in anticipation.

**X X X**

"Darrin," my mother whispered poking her head out of the room.

My head snapped up as I looked at her with hope. She smiled at me tiredly and motioned for me to come into the room. I stood quickly to my feet and rushed to follow her. Harrison was washing his hands off in the pot of water Raven brought and smiled warmly at me. I looked from him and over to the bed. Dana was nestled back against the many pillows propping her up. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, some strands escaping the hair band and falling around her face. In her arms was a bundle of blankets which she was cooing softly down at. She glanced up and smiled at me, a strange warm glow emanating from her. She nodded for me to come closer and I moved to her side.

I glanced down at the bundle in her arms and felt my heart swell with pride. Three small pink babies all opened their eyes and blinked up at me: two sets of bright red and one green pair. All three of them had a light dusting of pitch black hair. My mother came over and took one of the babies from Dana's arms. She carefully handed the small child to me, showing me the proper way to support the head. Green eyes met mine and I smiled softly down at the newborn.

"This is your son," Mother whispered at me tears swimming in her eyes.

"Hello there," I cooed gently stroking my son's face with my knuckle.

He blinked up at me his small hand curling around my finger. I looked over at Dana to see her crying, a bright smile on her face. Harrison informed me that the other two were my daughters and I moved closer to look down at my two beautiful girls. I kissed the top of each of their heads and kissed Dana softly on the mouth. She kissed me back gently as she gazed lovingly at our children. Dana let out a soft chuckle as one of our girls opened her mouth and yawned. The other two followed her shortly after both yawning.

"Alright," Harrison said clapping his hands together softly, "these kids need names."

"What do you think?" Dana asked looking up at me with a tired smile.

"I don't know," I looked down at one of the girls. "I like the name Autumn for one of the girls."

"Autumn Marie," Dana said after a minute. "And Victoria Rose for the other. Now what about our son?"

"Lucian," I said automatically before I had a chance to think.

Dana tilted her head to the side as she pondered over the name. Slowly she nodded before looking back at me.

"Lucian Sterling," she said and I smiled and nodded.

I looked down at the small infant in my arms. His green eyes began to close as sleep claimed him, his sisters already snoozing in their mother's arms. His hand still held tightly to my finger even after his breathing slowed and he fell to sleep nestled in my arms.

**X X X**

Dana and I quickly learned that three children were more than a handful. If one of them started crying the other two would start crying shortly after. We learned that the three hated being separated, especially Autumn and Victoria. Those two had to have to other in their sight at all times. Lucian was proving to be the quiet one. He was always the last one to start crying and didn't cry much if his sisters weren't around. However, when it came to bedtime all of the kids had to be in the same crib. All three of them would snuggle up close and if you dared tried to move even one of them an inch the other two would cling tightly to them. It was rather cute.

Despite all of my protests my family had moved in with both mine and Dana's clans. I still growled and snarled whenever he came near the children but Dana would glare at me, cutting off anything I was about to say. He would stand looming over my mother's or Dana's shoulder looking down at the triplets with kind eyes, a look I had never seen before crossing his face. Still, he had enough sense to deny holding any of them when offered. He came in to the nursery now while I held Victoria feeding her from a bottle. I looked over at him trying not to growl for fear of scaring my daughter.

"She's beautiful," my father said looking softly down at Victoria.

"She looks like her mother," I replied smiling down at her.

"I see a lot of you in her," my father chuckled coming to stand closer to me. "She has your eyes."

"She still looks like Dana," I argued kissing her forehead gently.

Dana came back in holding both Lucian and Autumn. She glanced warily at my father before coming to stand beside me. She smiled and pursed her lips for a kiss. I chuckled and leaned down to kiss her. Father cleared his throat once before turning to leave.

"Wait Stephan," Dana called using my father's name for the first time.

"Yes?" he replied turning back to face her.

Dana said nothing as she walked towards him. Carefully she juggled the two sleeping babies in her arms, gesturing for my father to take Lucian. He hesitate glancing over at me before taking him and cradling him to his chest. Dana smiled softly up at him before looking down at our son. My father glanced down at Lucian, a strange expression crossing his face. I was shocked when I saw tears streaming down my father's face. He looked up at me with a broken smile.

"He's beautiful," he whispered.

"He looks just like his father," Dana agreed, "which means he looks like you."

My father slowly shook his head and looked back down at Lucian. He gently kissed his forehead before handing him back to Dana. Without another word, he walked from the nursery and closed the door gently. I looked at Dana with shock written all over my face. She just smirked at me as she placed Autumn and Lucian down into the crib motioning me to place Victoria down as well. After I laid her gently next to her brother and sister I wrapped an arm around Dana's waist. She leaned against me as we looked down at our children, a warm motherly smile on her face.

"What was that all about?" I asked her in a quiet voice.

"I'm not sure," she said. "I was listening to his thoughts and all he was thinking about was holding one of them, just once. When I handed him Lucian his thoughts changed. All he could think about was how much Lucian looked like you when you were little and all the terrible things he did to you. You may not want to hear this or even believe it but he feels guilty for what he did."

"He proved that," I said rolling my eyes. "I mean having you kidnapped and put in mortal danger really shows me he's ready to be the father he never was with me."

"He loves you," she whispered looking away from me. "He may not show it or anything but he really does love you. He's so proud of you Darrin."

I didn't say anything, choosing to watch over the sleeping babies in silence. Dana sighed and gently kissed my neck before pulling me towards our room which was attached to the nursery. I followed her and flopped on the bed. Dana sat down on the bed beside me, gently threading her fingers through my hair. I hummed in approval smiling over at her.

"Now back to business," she said clapping her hands together. "We need to pick a date for the wedding."

"More wedding stuff?" I groaned burying my face into the pillows.

"Yes more wedding stuff," Dana said pouting. "There is so much stuff to decide on. Like the date and the location and the reception and flowers."

"Please stop," I begged tugging her down to lay beside me. "This stuff makes my head hurt."

"Well whether you like it or not this is something we have to discuss," Dana said struggling to get out of my arms. "Come on, we have to meet your mother in the library before the kids wake up from their nap."

I sighed and released her. She kissed my forehead gently before hopping off of the bed and towards the door. Dana looked over her shoulder at me motioning for me to follow her. I groaned and roll off of the bed and to my feet. I trudged along behind her, trying to block out any and all wedding talk from my mind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And there you have it, three beautiful babies. And Darrin got a son! What do you all think of his name? Pretty sweet huh? Well there is to be only a few more chapters…one of which contains the wedding. And one of which contains clues towards another installment to this little series I've created. Curious to see what it is? Well you'll just have to wait till next time! This is a healthy reminder for you all to review. Reviews make authors happy which makes them work faster and harder to please their readers….so review and we all win!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **As promised there is a special surprise in this chapter leading you all towards another installment to this series I have created. So read and enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

**Three Months Later**

I groaned and let my head fall to the table with a thump. Dana rubbed by back soothingly as she continued to chat with my mother. They were discussing "very important" wedding details and my head was beginning to throb. I glanced up at my mother and then to Dana. Dana met my gaze and smiled breaking off her conversation with my mother.

"What do you think?" she asked me still smiling.

"About what?" I replied with a sigh.

"Waiting a year so the triplets can play a part in the wedding," she told me with a chuckle.

"I suppose that would be fine," I said sitting up in my chair.

"I think it is the best option," Mother said smiling. "Unless of course you two want the date to be sooner. I mean it would be cute if the girls could be the flower girls and little Lucian as the ring bearer would be so adorable."

"My son should never be described as adorable," I said my eye twitching slightly.

"But he is and so are you," Dana retorted ruffling my hair.

I pouted and shook off her hand. Mother was laughing under her breath and I glared weakly at her. She turned her blue eyes back to Dana, her expression changing back to a look of seriousness.

"Alright then," she said glancing down at a large calendar before her, "when should the date be? The twins were born on May 29th so do we want that to be the date or a bit after?"

"September 23rd," I said before either of them spoke.

"Why then?" Dana asked her brow knitting together in confusion.

"That was the first day I saw you," I replied smiling softly at her. "That was the first day I realized I loved you, the day you first came into my life."

Dana looked at me, her eyes filling with tears. I gently wiped them away and she smiled at me. I kissed her on the cheek and looked over at my mother. She was trying to hold back tears as well as she wrote down the date with a shaky hand. I offered her a small smile and she returned it with a small smile of her own.

"Now that that's taken care of do we have a color scheme in mind?" she asked wiping at her eyes.

"Well I thought we could combine our favorite colors," Dana answered in a shaky voice. "Mine is blue and I wonder what yours is love?"

"I don't really have one," I said laying my head back on the table. "If I had to pick I would say silver or blue is a nice color."

"Honestly Darrin," my mother scolded shaking her head back and forth, "this could go a lot more simply if you would only cooperate."

"Fine," I grumbled, "silver is fine with me. Blue and silver, those colors go good together right?"

"Yes they do," Dana said kissing at my temple with a smile. "Now, was that so hard?"

I was about to say something when Chris and Abel came into the library, carrying three crying babies in their arms. They both looked at us all apologetically as they stepped closer.

"They woke up," Abel said with a tired smile. "I think they're hungry."

"My poor little babies," Dana cooed as she rose from her seat, "now why are you giving your uncle and Grandpa such a hard time, huh?"

She took Victoria from Abel and I walked towards Chris to take Autumn and Lucian. He gave me a grateful smile and I looked down at my son and daughter. At three months old it was amazing at the changes that had been made. All three were growing in length and already losing some of their baby fat. Autumn and Victoria both already had their mother's delicate features and Lucian had the same strong jaw that I possessed. Lucian was already proving that he was going to be bigger and taller than his sisters, which I was very thankful for. It would not go well if he grew up with his mother's features and stature.

Dana came over to stand beside me and looked down at her other two children. She smiled up at me and kissed me on the cheek. I smiled back and looked over at Victoria. She stared up at me curiously and reached up, wrapping her small hand in my long hair. I tried not to wince as she tugged on the raven locks rather hard. She let out a bubbling laugh as she tugged again and again. Seeing their sister in such amusement made autumn and Lucian also reach up and grab handfuls of my hair. I looked at Dana with pleading eyes as all three children tugged and pulled at my hair.

"Alright that's enough," she scolded teasingly as she unraveled my hair from their tiny fingers.

"No!" Lucian shouted as Dana tried to pull his hand free.

Dana's eyes went wide as she stared at our son. She looked up at me and quirked a brow.

"He just spoke," she said bewildered.

"Yes he did," I responded. "It's not that surprising. Vampires grow a little faster both physically and mentally. They should start walking here soon."

"How fast do they grow?" Dana asked her face beginning to pale.

"Relax love," I said reassuringly. "I was born in the year 1482. By the time my first birthday rolled around I looked like I was five and thought like I was fifteen."

"Well when will they stop aging?" she asked looking down at our children with worry. "I mean you don't look over twenty but you've been alive for centuries."

"I stopped around the age of ten," I told her. "There is no need to worry darling. This is perfectly natural."

"So I don't get to keep my sweet little babies all sweet and little?" she asked pouting her lower lip out slightly.

"Not for long," I said with a chuckle.

"Papa!" Lucian whined suddenly reaching for my hair again. "Want! Want!"

"Oh no you don't," I said flipping my hair over my shoulder. "That hurts Papa."

"Want!" Lucian said his face scrunching up and turning red.

"Oh no," I moaned.

"WWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Lucian wailed his small hands curling into fists.

Autumn and Victoria looked at their brother before they started to cry as well. I sighed defeated and swung my hair back into my eyes, the long strands gently brushing against Lucian's face. He stopped crying instantly and laughed as my hair tickled his face. His sisters also started to laugh and clapped their hands at their brother's joy. I looked over at Dana with a tired, pleading smile.

"Help?" I asked weakly as the triplets once again clutched at my hair.

"I think you'll be fine," Dana said chuckling as she looked at our children.

"Hungry Mama," Victoria piped suddenly looking up at Dana.

Dana looked at her in surprise but quickly masked it with a bright smile. She kissed our daughter on the cheek before striding out of the library, snapping her fingers at me to follow.

"Hungry! Hungry!" the other two chirped pulling at my hair.

"Why did there have to be three?" I sighed following after my beautiful future wife.

**X X X**

**Four Months Later**

I trudged into the house, shaking the snow from my hair and clothes as I glared weakly down at my son. He looked up at me with big green eyes, trying not to laugh.

"Care to explain to me what was wrong with all of those trees we looked at?" I asked him ruffling his hair gently.

"They weren't big enough," he said pushing at my hand.

I let out a sigh and smirked down at him. The triplets were seven months old but looked like they were three. Dana still looked at them with a pale, worried face but I assured her they were perfectly fine. Lucian was already a head taller than his sisters and looked much older than them. His hair was longer than theirs as well, falling past his shoulders. Dana wanted to cut his hair but I quickly shot that down. She retaliated by insisting that we celebrate the triplets first Christmas the best way we can. This meant that we had to decorate and everything, which included me going into the forest and cutting down a tree. Lucian wanted to go and help pick one out but shot down every single one I asked him about.

Dana came down the stairs and quirked a brow at us. Lucian ran to his mother and wrapped his arms around her legs. She smiled down at him and smoothed down his long black hair. She looked up at me and then behind me.

"Where's the tree?" she asked trying to pry Lucian from her.

"Your son decided that none of the trees we looked at were big enough," I replied leaning the axe I had brought with me against the wall.

"They were puny looking Mama," he said pouting up at her.

"Now Lucian," she said trying to hide a smile, "you have to settle on one. We can't have it be too tall or we can't get it through the door and where will Santa Clause leave your presents?"

"Santa isn't leaving us presents?" a small voice asked.

I looked up at the top of the stairs to see Vitoria standing there, Autumn peering around her sister. Both girls held a shocked, hurt expression and seemed on the verge of tears. Lucian looked at his sisters with a panicked look before running over to me and trying to shove me out of the door.

"Quick we have to go back out," he insisted still trying to push me towards the door. "We have to find a tree before Santa gets here."

"He won't come till Christmas Eve," I said with a chuckled as I gently pushed Lucian back. "Besides, it's getting late and the sun has already gone down."

"But you can use your fire fingers to light our way," Lucian argued pouting up at me. "Please Papa, can we go back out? I promise that the first tree I see will be the one we bring home."

I looked over at Dana with a sheepish look. She sighed and nodded, pulling the girls to her side trying to console them before the water works began. I looked down at Lucian, his big green eyes pleading with me. I nodded once and his face broke out into a bright smile as he hugged me tightly. I hugged him back with one are and reaching for the axe with my other. He shrugged his coat back on and pulled his gloves out from the pocket. Once I deemed him properly dressed, I opened the door and we trudged out into the snow.

True to his word, the first tree Lucian spotted in the dim light was the one he told me to cut down. I looked at it sizing it up. It was a good ten feet, possibly taller. It was a bit fuller at the bottom and narrowed up towards the top perfectly. It truly was the perfect tree.

"You're sure this is the one?" I asked shouldering the axe as I looked down at my son.

"I would bet my life on it," he said with a curt nod.

That was all I needed. I told Lucian to stand back a good ways behind me in case the tree fell on him. I made sure he was a good ways away before I lowered the axe and swung with all my might. The blade of the axe cut through the think trunk in one swing causing the snow to fall from the branches as the tree tilted back. We watched with smug satisfaction as the tree hit the snow ground with a soft thud. Juggling the axe in one hand carefully, I grasped the trunk of the tree and began to drag it back home. We were almost through the dense forest when Lucian suddenly stopped.

"Lucian?" I called stopping a few feet behind him.

He said nothing as he stared curiously to his right, his head tilting to the side. I followed his line of sight till I saw the outline of a person standing a mile away from us. Narrowing my eyes I let go of the tree and walked in front of my son, blocking off his view of the stranger. In the dim light provided by the moon I could barely make out the features of the person. From what I could see, they were rather tall and lanky, maybe a bit shorter than me. I could make out short shaggy spikes blowing in the gentle winter wind. I took a sniff at the air and let out a feral hiss, my fangs unsheathing themselves. A sickly sweet minty aroma filled the air, the scent of an Amethyst. Lucian let out a small whimper as he clutched at my pant leg. My eyes darted down at him, locking on his face. His eyes were wide, fear shining in the green irises.

"Can you hear him?" I hissed quietly knowing he possessed the same mind reading abilities of his mother.

"He wants me," he whispered fear lacing his words. "He keeps thinking he needs to bring me to her."

My eyes widened a fraction as I looked back at the Amethyst vampire. I snapped my fingers sharply and a small fireball appeared on the tips of my fingers. I quickly flicked it in the direction of the vamp. As it whizzed by them I could clearly make out their features in the bright firelight. Dark tan skin and almond shaped purple eyes. It was Tristan Ingle.

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><p><strong>AN: **Duh duh duh! What a twist! Don't worry. Tristan didn't get him. Next chapter is the triplets first Christmas so we get to have fun with that. Please remember to review!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **And now it's time for Christmas! This chapter is a little on the long side but I had to make it special for the triplets…enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

Lucian and I walked slowly back into the mansion, the tree dragging along behind us. Lucian was pale and still shaken from our encounter with Tristan. Shortly after I threw the fireball, Tristan let out a soft hiss and ran off. Once he was gone I turned my attention back to Lucian. He was extremely pale and had tears running down his face. I kneeled down in the snow, dropping the axe and wrapped my arms around his small frame. He weakly fell into the embrace as he let out a shuttering sob. I started to shush him softly and rubbed his back soothingly. He clutched at the front of my shirt and buried his face in my chest.

"Listen to me," I said softly but stern, "we cannot tell your mother about this. I don't want her to worry about this. You have to erase your mind of this event. If you can, try to set up a block like your Grandpa Chris showed you. We must never speak of this again, do you understand? Not to your mother, your sisters or anyone. This will be our little secret."

He pulled back sniffling and wiping at his eyes. He nodded and looked up at me with slightly red eyes. I gave him a forced smile and ruffled his hair. He let out a shaky laugh as he shoved my hand away. He looked back at the tree where I left it and back to where we saw Tristan just moments ago. He nodded again and started to walk towards the direction of the house.

"Welcome back boys," I heard Dana call as she came down the steps.

"Finally found one," I told her triumphantly.

"Oh it's perfect," she said smiling as I stood the tree up to its full height. "Go set it up in the den and we can decorate tomorrow. But now it's bedtime for my little man."

She held her hand out for Lucian and he ran to grasp her hand tightly with both of his. Dana smiled and kissed the top of his head, leading him up the stairs and talking quietly about the tree. I kept my forced smile till I heard the distant click of a door. I felt the smile drop as I looked solemnly out the open door behind me. I could still smell Tristan as if he were right beside me. I glanced up as I heard footsteps approaching me. My father stood a few feet away from me, his expression unreadable.

"Nice tree," he said stiffly looking it up and down.

"You can smell him too?" I asked closing the door behind me.

"What was he doing here?" Father asked taking a step towards me.

"Lucian said that Tristan was thinking he had to get him to her," I said keeping an ear out for Dana. I didn't want to worry her.

"Who's her?" he asked showing mild concern.

"I don't know," I sighed running a hand through my hair. "But I'm afraid of who it may be."

**X X X**

The following morning I walked down the stairs and towards the den. Dana and the children were already sorting through several boxes of decorations with Dana's clan. Autumn and Victoria were rolling on the floor laughing as Cain tried to shake out the silvery tinsel tangled in his dark hair. Abel smirked as he dumped another box of the shiny material on his brother's head, joining the children in a bout of laughter. Dana giggled softly and turned her eyes up towards me. She smiled and motioned for me to sit next to her near the roaring fire. I walked over and dropped to the floor beside her giving her a gentle kiss.

"Alright now," Dana scolded jokingly, "quit picking on Uncle Cain. We need to put the tinsel on the tree and not on him."

Everyone let out a laugh. I glanced over at Lucian to see him staring into the fire. He was trying to smile but was failing. His eyes were solemn as he looked into the crackling flames. He looked up and met my eyes. I gave him an encouraging smile which he returned weakly. Dana looked from me to Lucian, her eyes questioning. Lucian quickly looked away and stood, walking over to a box next to the tree. He began to sort through it, inspecting the various ornaments inside.

"What's going on?" Dana asked softly turning her gaze towards me.

"Maybe he had a nightmare," I said with a shrug.

Dana pouted and was about to say something else when the girls began to whine about not decorating. She closed her mouth and smiled at them. Helios came in with a tall step ladder and a box filled with strings of lights. Helios, Cain, and I began to string the lights around the tree while the others watched, the girls hopping in anticipation. Once we were done they let out a squeal and began to choose ornaments, placing them on any branch they could reach. Lucian watched passively, clearly lost in thought. About an hour later, the tree was almost perfect; the only thing missing was the star.

I looked over at Dana and winked. Quietly, I snuck up behind Lucian. I ducked down, slipping his legs over my shoulders as I stood up. He let out a small shout and clung tightly to my shoulders and neck. Dana handed me the gold and silver star we found in the attic and I carefully climbed the step ladder till Lucian was eye level with the top of the tree. He blinked a few times as I handed him the star. His face broke out into a bright smile as he gingerly placed the star on the top. I smiled up at him as I stepped down the ladder and pulled Lucian off of my shoulders, still holding him in my arms. Abel took the electric hookup and plugged it into the outlet. The lights flickered to life and cast the room with a dim glow.

We all ooh-ed and aw-ed at the twinkling tree, Autumn and Victoria clapping their hands and giggling. Dana came up beside me and wrapped her arms around me. Holding Lucian up with one arm, I wrapped the other around her and kissed the top of her head.

"It's beautiful," she sighed snuggling closer to me.

"Yes," I agreed but smiled down at her devilishly, "but not as beautiful as you."

She gave me a warm smile and turned her eyes to our girls dancing around the tree. Lucian put his head on my shoulder, a faint smile playing at his lips as he watched his sisters and gazed at the tree. I could sense him slowly feeling at peace since our encounter and gently kissed him at the temple. He glanced at me briefly, his smile growing as he let out a content sigh. I felt a bit more relaxed. However, I still couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was soon headed our way.

**X X X**

**A Few Weeks Later**

I had my arms wrapped around Dana, her small frame spooned against mine as we lay in our bed. My ears perked up as I heard the door creak open and three hushed voices whispered to each other. I cracked open one eye when the mattress dipped slightly under the weight of another body. A pair of bright red eyes blinked at me in the dim morning light flittering through the drawn curtains. I smiled as a small body wormed in between mine and Dana's. She let out a small moan as she peered over her shoulder at the dark haired girl smiling at us both.

"It's Christmas!" Autumn informed us in an excited hushed tone.

"Is it?" I asked in feigned astonishment.

Lucian and Victoria ran over to the bed and hopped up onto the mattress, jolting our reclined bodies. All three children started to bounce chanting "It's Christmas!" over and over. Dana chuckled under her breath as she scooted off of the bed and reached for the robe draped over the chair beside it. I let out a barking laugh as I shifted to the side and pulled one of my girls down onto the mattress, caging her in my arms. She let out a shriek, her thin legs kicking up in the air as I rolled her back and forth on the bed. Her siblings got tangled up with our bodies and tumbled on top of us. We all laughed as Dana watched in amusement.

"Let's go see what Santa left," she called over our laughter.

All three cried in agreement as the struggled off of the bed and ran out of the room. We could hear their shouts of joy echo through the hall in an attempt to wake the others. I braced myself back on my elbows and smirked at Dana. She raised a brow as she walked closer to the side of the bed. I snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her on top of me.

"Do I get a present?" I purred into her ear placing a nipping kiss just below it.

"Maybe," she said with a shiver. "Have you been a good boy this year?"

"Well yes and no," I said chuckling. "Some would think I've been quite naughty."

"Then no present for you," she laughed pulling away from me.

I pouted up at her and tried to pull her down for a kiss. She placed a finger against my lips and slowly shook her head.

"We had better get down there before they raise hell," she said sliding off of my lap and walking towards the door.

I sighed defeated and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I reached for my robe and followed Dana as she walked from our room and towards the den. When we arrived, we were greeted by the sleepy smiles of our clans and my family. Davian and Raven both were glaring slightly as they looked at us accusingly. I snickered turning my eyes to the three children kneeling in front of the tree, trembling in excitement as they gazed at the large stack of presents placed carefully beneath the twinkling fir.

"Now we are going to pass out the presents to each person," Dana said taking charge. "Once everyone has their gifts we each take turns opening them up. Is that understood?"

All three nodded, eagerly looking up at their mother. She smiled and dropped to her knees, crawling towards the tree. She started to reach for the presents, calling out the names written on the small tags placed on each gift. When it was all done, no one seemed surprised that the three largest piles stood tall in front of each child.

"Ladies first," Dana said with a smirk nodding at Autumn, the eldest of the two girls.

Autumn clapped her hands and eagerly tore the bright wrapping off of the largest gift. Once the paper was torn into small pieces, a Victorian style dollhouse stood proudly. She let out a small gasp as she stepped around the house which was almost as tall as her. She reached for the latch on the side, keeping the house closed. She thumbed it open and the house swung open to show eight rooms and a large attic space at the top. Carefully crafted Victorian furniture filled each room and small, delicate China dolls were placed in various rooms: a Papa doll sitting in a study on the third floor, a Mama doll lounging in the parlor, and two small girl dolls playing in a small bedroom. Autumn's eyes filled with tears as she flung herself at my father, her small arms wrapping tightly around them.

"Thank you Grandfather," she squeaked.

I looked at my father in surprise. I knew the house was handmade but I never expected him to be the creator. He smiled down at her and smoothed down her hair. He looked at me a bit sheepishly as Autumn turned to the rest of her presents. A children's poetry book from Grandpa Chris, a beautiful China doll with curly black hair and rosy cheeks from Santa, new dresses from my mother and matching dresses for her doll from Uncles Abel and Cain; a toy oven from Uncle Helios, an elegant tea set including a table and chairs from Raven, and a large stuffed dog from Uncle Alex. The other members of my clan gave her a jump rope, a princess themed board game, and a small jewelry box decorated with roses. Her mother and I gave her a locket in the shape of a small mirror holding a picture of each of us.

"Thank you," Autumn whispered tears falling down her cheeks.

Dana kissed the top of her head and smoothed down her hair before looking at Victoria. She was practically bouncing with excitement and, like her sister, attacked the largest gift before her. It was another handmade dollhouse created by my father but much different than her sister's. Victoria's was modeled after a 16th century medieval castle complete with a throne room where a small King and Queen sat on richly decorated thrones. There was a colorful jester entertaining them and a small dancer doll as well dressed in fine silks. Attached to the castle was a small courtyard filled with knights training, standing guard, or riding on mighty war horses. In the highest tower sat a young maiden gazing down at a handsome prince astride his trusty white steed. And lurking in the dungeons of the castle was a wicked sorcerer surrounded by books filled with evil spells and enchantments.

Victoria quickly hugged her grandfather before diving back for more presents. A book filled with fairytales from Grandpa Chris, a China doll much like her sisters but with golden braids from Santa, beautiful silk ribbons and silver hair pins with tiny flowers from Mother and matching ribbons and pins for her doll from her Uncles Abel and Cain; from Raven an elegantly carved crib for her doll decorated with sparrows and flowers, an art set with an easel from Uncle Helios—Victoria was proving to be quite the little artist—and a large stuffed unicorn from her Uncle Alex. The rest of my clan had gotten her similar toys as Autumn with the exception of watercolor paints and her jewelry box was decorated with tiny sparrows. From us, her mother and I had gotten her a locket as well. This one was in the shape of a rosebud with a small ruby set in the very center. Much like her sister, Victoria whispered her thanks through tears hugging my leg tightly.

Lucian looked up at us with eager hope shining in his eyes. I looked at Dana and smirked before gesturing to his large stack of presents. He eyed the pile carefully before choosing one off the side, the largest present opened today. Hidden by the colorfully bright paper was a large wooden fort, handmade by my father yet again. Patrolling the high walls were dedicated soldiers, their rifles resting against their shoulders with the butt of the gun resting in the crook of their arms. Down in the yard below was a whole army of fearless soldiers standing at attention before a decorated general sitting upright and proud on his horse, looking over his loyal troops. There were more horses being loaded down with provisions for a long and hard march to face the enemy, who was whomever my son decided. He looked wide-eyed at his grandfather before giving him a quick hug and attending to the rest of his gifts.

He carefully picked each neatly wrapped gift, tearing the paper off carefully as if each gift was as fragile as a spun glass flower. Each gift brought a bright, wonderful smile to the boy's face. Once again a book from his Grandpa Chris—this one on battles throughout history up to the Civil War of America—a pair of soft leather hunting boots from Mother, a small bow with a quiver full of arrows from Santa, and more handmade toy soldiers from his Uncles Abel and Cain; a survival knife from his Uncle Helios with various tools, a handmade backpack from Raven, and a large stuffed bear from his Uncle Alex. Much to Dana's dismay, the rest of my clan gave Lucian other various survival tools and weapons including a leather whip just the right size for the young boy, more arrows, and even a few small throwing knives. Lucian looked around frantically for one more gift: the one from Dana and me.

"Lucian," I said looking down at my son. His eyes met mine questioningly. "Your mother and I have decided to give each of you something very special and dear to us. Your sisters got those handcrafted lockets designed by your mother and I. For you, we have each gotten you something from our childhoods."

"This is from me," Dana said pulling out a small wooden box from beneath the couch. It was made of a dark polished wood that gleamed in the morning light. Lucian took it from her and carefully opened it. Inside was a battered old copy of Tennyson poems, a silver pocket watch, and a broken pearl necklace. "These were my most prized possessions when I lived in the orphanage. That was my favorite book and I read it every day. And the pocket watch and the pearls were the only things left that my parents had owned when they were alive. The box even belonged to my birth father's father. I want you to have it."

Lucian looked up at his mother, tears shining in eyes so much like hers. I could tell Dana was fighting back tears of her own as Lucian hugged her tightly. I looked around the room to see Abel and my mother already tearing up as well while Cain, Davian, Helios, and my father shuffled around and tried to appear more masculine. I cleared my throat to get my son's attention and he wiped at his eyes, blinking up at me.

"Mine is a little more obscure," I said trying not to smirk. "This, ironically enough, was my childhood home. To put it nicely, I didn't care much for my time here as a child and longed for the day I could finally leave here and get away from my family. I respect that you love your grandmother and grandfather very much but one day you'll understand the need to escape from your parents. Hidden here in the mansion is my secret place. I found it when I was a young boy, just a little older than you are now. There I found peace and serenity. Later on I shall reveal to you the location of this secret place. It is yours to do with as you please."

Lucian smiled up at me and hugged me just as tight. I returned the embrace and peered over at Dana to see tears streaming down her face. She smiled softly at me and wrapped her arms around the girls. I pulled back from Lucian and kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair.

"Alright," I said standing up, "time for anyone else to see what Santa brought them."

The rest of the morning went by without a hitch. Everyone got to open their gifts. The girls decided that they would decide who got to open their gifts, saving Raven and Davian for last. Davian pouted when they told him he was to go dead last.

"How come I'm last?" he asked in mock hurt batting his lashes at the girls.

"You didn't get us anything," Victoria said with a shrug.

"Oh but I did," Davian argued giving her a wink.

"What did you get us Uncle Davy?" Lucian asked coming to stand beside his sister.

"It is something very special," he said holding up a finger. He dashed out of the room and came back a few moments later levitating three huge boxes using his shadows. "Inside these boxes are something called shadowlings. They are a very special kind of animal. You see when they are born they are these shadowy, shapeless creatures. But once they meet their master and see their face for the very first time, they take on the form of their master's inner animal."

"Are they safe?" Dana asked in her "mom" voice.

"Very," Davian said nodding. "Once they meet their master they are forever sworn to protect them at any cost from any harm. They never stray too far from their master's side, always looking out for any sign of danger. Your children could not be in safer hands."

He placed each box in front of each child. He gestured for Autumn to step towards her box. She did so hesitantly, looking over at her mother who smiled and nodded before removing the lid from the box. A dark, shadowy mist rose from the box. A pair of glowing white eyes gleamed down at my daughter who shrunk back in fear. The mist slowly circled around her once before settling down in front of her. The white eyes closed as the mist began to shift and take form. There was a flash of light and a small _pop_ and in place of the shadowy mist sat a small golden lion cub. Autumn let out a squeal of delight as the lion cub purred and rubbed against her legs. She reached down and pulled the wild cat into her arms, rubbing her cheek against its soft fur.

Victoria's eyes were wide as she watched her sister and her new pet. She looked up at her uncle who nodded before lifting the lid off of her own box. Just like before, a shadowy mist with a pair of white eyes rose from the box and circled Victoria. She watched it with careful eyes as it settled down in front of her. Another flash of light and a pop left a tiny red fox cub blinking up at her. Victoria cooed down at it softly as she bundled the small fox in her arms. It made a strange barking sound, nuzzling against her chest. Both girls turned their eyes upon Lucian as he approached his own box.

Lucian took a deep breath before carefully lifting off the lid and placing it on the ground. His shadowling rose from the box and blinked its large white eyes down at Lucian. He met its gaze steadily, watching it move around him. When it finally settled down in front of him, it had already begun to take shape. Before we knew it, a wolf pup was crouched in front of my son. Its fur was as white and as pure as the snow outside. But its eyes were the most interesting thing. Unlike the girls shadowlings, both of which had golden eyes, Lucian's had eyes as green as his. Lucian blinked at it in surprise and it let out a yip before licking Lucian's face.

"These are your best friends," Davian told my children kneeling down to look them in the eye. "They understand you better than perhaps yourselves. They know all of your secrets, your fears, and even your hopes and dreams. They will always be there if you ever need them. They can even communicate with you somehow, someway."

"Thank you Uncle Davy!" all three children said hugging their new pets tightly to their chests.

"I think they need names," Chris said smiling down at the children gently.

"I'll call mine Curajos," Autumn said smiling down at her lion.

"Mine's Sagira," Victoria said softly kissing her little fox on the head.

"Eamon," Lucian said simply rubbing one of the wolf's ears between his fingers.

The three children looked at their new friends, then out the window, then back at us. I quirked a brow and looked down at Dana. She met my gaze and she nodded smiling at me. I chuckled under my breath and they looked up at me with hopeful eyes.

"Better go out now before it gets too cold," I told them. "And don't forget to put on some warm clothes."

They all three let out shouts of delight and ran from the den, their pets tailing not too far behind. We all had smile on our faces as we heard the shuffle of little feet, small animal growls, and then the pounding of feet running down the stairs and out the door. Dana laughed lightly as she started to clean up the endless sea of torn wrapping paper and discarded bows. Soon, with a bit of help from Mother and Abel, she had the den back to normal before the destruction of colorful Christmas paper. I helped my father and Davian move the children's' gifts to their rooms, arranging them in a way we knew would appeal to the children.

We had just moved Lucian's fort into his room when I heard a faint gasp followed by the sound of something breaking. We all looked at each other before hurrying towards the den. Raven and my mother were standing on either side of a shaky Dana. They eyes flashed over to us as we barged into the room. Chris ran into the room a few seconds after we did and went straight to Dana.

"What is it?" he asked urgently.

Dana said nothing but turned to face me. Clutched in her hand was a small, black velvet box. Her eyes were strangely dead and her skin was ashen pale. She walked over to me and placed the box in my hand. I gave her a questioning look before taking the box from her shaking hand. I opened it up and felt my heart drop. Nestled in the silk fabric of the box was a heavy silver ring with a large amethyst gem glinting dangerously in the light. Strange symbols were etched along the wide silver band. I looked up at Dana, a look of horror crossing my face.

"You're hiding something from me," she said quietly taking the ring from my hand. "Tell me."

"When Lucian and I went to get the tree we ran into Tristan," I said softly not wanting to meet her gaze. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew that would worry you. And with you still worrying about the children's rapid aging I didn't want to add that to your plate."

"There's something else though," Dana said narrowing her eyes. "I want to hear the whole story Darrin Cobalt."

I sighed and looked into her eyes. I let the mental block I made fall and allow her access to the dark memory I tried to shield her from. Her eyes grew wide when she was done digging in my mind. Her hand flew over her mouth as she tried to pull herself together.

"He's talking about Alice isn't he?" she asked her voice shaking.

"No," I said quickly. "I killed her remember? I ripped her cold heart right from her chest. She's gone and there is no way she can come back."

"Then who did Tristan mean by her and why does this have Lucian's name on it?" Dana snapped showing me the small tag on the bottom of the box?"

I gave her a look before looking on the bottom of the box. There was a small gift tag there with Lucian's name written in an elegant script. I looked at Dana to see fear shining in her eyes. I clutched the box in my hand, my heart growing heavy with dread.

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><p><strong>AN: **Sorry to kill the happy mood but it must be done. Oh and fyi the names the kids gave their pets have special meanings. Curajos means "brave" in Romanian, Sagira is an Egyptian name meaning "little one", and Eamon is an Irish name that means "guardian" or "protector". Oh and Curajos is a boy, Sagira is a girl, and Eamon is a boy as well...just letting you know. Please leave a review on the way out! Thank you all for reading and I really do read your reviews and it just makes my heart happy! :)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **So you all are starting to get a feel for how things are going to go for this series…this chapter is bit more heartfelt to lighten the mood a bit. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

**Three Months Later**

The next few months passed by without hide or hair of any Amethyst vampires roaming around. Dana threw the ring into the fire after I handed it back to her. She tried not to show her fear and worry around the children but I could still sense it. It was worse whenever she looked at Lucian. That was when her brave front would break and you could faintly see her emotions surfacing. Everything would be fine though if it wasn't for Lucian's nightmares. One night he told me that ever since the encounter with Tristan, he had these terrible dreams filled with the purple eyed vamps coming to claim him. He told me that everyone would try to protect him, but the end result was always death.

Since Christmas and the arrival of Eamon, his shadowling in the form of a wolf, the nightmares have not been as intense and less frequent. I'm thankful for this but I still fear for my son. I walked down the long hallway towards Lucian's room. I knocked on the door and waited for an answer. I stood there for several minutes before finally answering the door. Toys, books, and clothes littered the floor. His bed was unmade and the large bear he got for Christmas was hanging halfway off the bed.

"Lucian?" I called scanning the room for him.

When I was satisfied that he wasn't really in there I ventured a few doors down. I knocked on the door and got a reply this time. I opened the door to see my two beautiful girls playing with Autumn's tea set and their China dolls. Curajos and Sagira were lounging beneath the table, their golden eyes watching me carefully. The two girls both smiled at me as I came into the room.

"You wanna join our tea party Papa?" Victoria asked raising her delicate teacup.

"Not today lovely," I said smiling down at her. "I'm looking for your brother."

"He went outside with Eamon a little while ago," Autumn told me pretending to pour tea into her doll's cup.

"Do you know where he was going?" I asked kneeling beside my daughter.

"I think he was going to the gardens," she replied picking up her teacup and taking a sip.

I smiled and kissed her cheek before walking out. I quickly walked down the hall, down the stairs, and out the back door in the kitchen. Spring was starting to make an appearance and the cherry trees were in bloom. The garden that Dana had created was like walking into some fairytale land. I walked down the pebbled path leading to a large fountain in the center of the garden. Lucian was perched on the edge of the fountain, Eamon curled up beside him. The wolf's ears perked up as I approached and watched me with critical eyes. Lucian looked up at me, sensing his wolf reacting to my presence.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked sitting down next to him.

"Being out here calms me down," he said looking at his hands folded in his lap.

"Did you have another nightmare?" I questioned placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Not really," he mumbled reaching over to gently stroke Eamon's fur.

"Want to tell me about it?" I said with a small smile.

"I was in this weird land," Lucian began not looking at me. "There was this other boy there with me. He kept saying we had to hurry, we had to run. I didn't ask anything, I just went with him. So, we ran. He led me down all these winding paths and the entire time I could smell something. It smelled just like that man: this sweet minty scent that stung my nose. I could hear someone coming up behind us and we ran faster. Then you and Mama were in this big room we ran into. You two didn't see us and were talking about something. You were holding a box with a ring in it I think. Mama looked so scared. Then this girl came up behind you two. She had the same purple eyes as that man. I kept trying to scream at you to turn and see her, but when I opened my mouth nothing came out. Then the boy looked at me and pointed at you. He said 'I protected him once, not it's your turn.' Then I wake up."

"Do you remember what the boy looked like?" I asked trying to keep my voice from shaking.

"He was really pale and had dark gray eyes and black hair like mine," Lucian said looking up at me. "What's wrong Papa? Did I say something wrong?"

I glanced at my reflection in the pool of the fountain. My skin was much paler than normal and a look of pure dread was plastered on my face. I mentally shook my head and forced a smile. Lucian still looked up at me with slight worry and fear. I ruffled his hair and moved to kneel in front of him.

"I think it's time I showed you your Christmas present," I whispered to him.

Lucian's eyes light up as he smiled. He quickly got to his feet, Eamon yipping in excitement as he ran circles around us. I took Lucian's hand into mine as I led him further into the garden and towards the dense forest behind the house. Lucian's hand tightened its grip on mine. I knew what he was thinking despite having no telekinetic powers. He was remembering our encounter with Tristan a few months back. I gave his hand a small squeeze and led him into the trees. We walked a little ways until a small clearing with a lake that had a waterfall pouring into it. Lucian's eyes grew wide as he took in the whole scene before him.

I smiled and led him around the lake and towards the rocky cliff the waterfall tumbled down. Carefully, I led him along the rocks and behind the roaring fall. Just behind it was a large cave with the sunlight streaming through the water providing a dim light to see by. I let go of Lucian's hand as I walked further into the cave as memories washed over me…

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><p><em>I was running through the trees, but I was much younger. I was only two in human years but I had the appearance of an eight-year-old a bit tall for his age. My eye was throbbing from the hit I received from my father. It stung as tears streamed down my face and flew behind me as I ran through the forest. Whether they were tears of pain, betrayal, or anger I wasn't sure. I tripped over a tree root and was sent tumbling to the ground. I laid there in the grass as I sobbed. I don't remember how long I was there until a gentle hand touched me on the back. I looked up at see a face identical to mine, minus the black eye.<em>

_ "You alright?" Davian asked as he helped me to my feet._

_ "What did I do wrong?" I cried clinging to my brother. "I don't remembering doing anything bad. Why does Father hate me?"_

_Davian did nothing as I clung to him and cried bitterly. He waited for me to stop before he took my hand in his and led me further into the forest. I sniffled and wiped carefully at my eyes as I followed my brother. Eventually he led me into a large clearing with a lake and a waterfall. Davian said nothing as he led me towards the rocky cliff that the water fell over and behind the waterfall. There we stood in a large cave._

_ "This is where you can go when Father gets too rough," Davian said quietly his voice echoing off of the stone walls._

_ "Why did you show me this? How did you find it?" I asked turning to my brother only to find that he had disappeared into the shadows._

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><p>"This is where you used to go?" Lucian asked snapping me from my thoughts.<p>

"Yes," I said. "Your Uncle Davian showed this to me when I was a little older than you. This was where I used to go to escape from everything. This was my sanctuary. This was where I felt safe. Now come here, I want to show you something."

Lucian came towards me and took my hand tightly in his. Eamon's green eyes gleamed up at us in the dim light as I led us further into the cave. Towards the very back of the cave was a tunnel. Lucian looked at it warily and then up at me. I chuckled and snapped my fingers, flames rushing to the tips. I held my hand in front of us to light the way as I walked through the tunnel. Lucian kept glancing down at his shadowling to make sure he was there and then up at me. I kept my eyes forward and led him through the tunnel. Soon, after traveling for what seemed like forever, a faint light reached our eyes. A stone door blocked our way at the end of the tunnel. I reached over to a rock jutting from the wall beside the door and I pushed it in.

There was a low rumbling and the stone door swung open slowly. On the other side was a small room carved out of stone. There was a squishy armchair on one side of the room next to a tall bookshelf that reached from floor to ceiling. There was a table beside the chair covered in the wax of many candles. Over on the other wall was a small bed, a thin layer of dust settling on the sheets and pillows. Toys and books were scattered all over the room, much like my son's.

"I made this room when I was a little older," I said breaking the silence that had settled over us. "On the other side of that bookshelf is the library in our home. I found out that many of the tunnels connecting to the cave led back to the mansion. That way, no matter where I was, I could always escape to my haven."

"I love it," Lucian whispered as he walked further into the room.

I walked over to the shelf and showed him where the false shelves were that fashioned as a door. We walked through it, startling my father who was sitting at one of the many tables in the library. I felt the color drain from my face when I realized that my secret place had been discovered. Father said nothing as he looked from me to Lucian to Eamon. He got up from his seat and quietly walked from the library. I looked at Lucian to see the same shocked, frightened look on his face. We stared at each other before bursting out into laughter. Lucian stopped laughing and hugged me as tightly as he could. I hugged him back, my eyes closing as I felt a wave of peace wash over me for the first time in three long months.

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><p><strong>AN: **Isn't that just too sweet? And you all got a little glimpse at what a good guy Davian can be…sometimes. Please remember to review!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Thank you all for reviewing. And to answer someone's question from the previous chapter yes Lucian described the boy whom he is named after. So this chapter is a bit exciting because it's the triplets first birthday! So read and enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

**Two Months Later**

I sat at the small kitchen table, watching Dana as she zipped around the room. I looked over at the large three-layer cake sitting on the table in front of me. The white icing was elegantly decorated with blue swirls and orange flowers with a large blue and orange swirled candle perched at the top. I smiled to myself as I looked at the candle. The triplets were one year old today…well by human standards at least. Dana looked over at me eyeing the cake and smacked the back of my head playfully. I glared at her, rubbing the spot where she hit me.

"I know what you're thinking," she smirked, "and if you so much as try to taste that icing I will end your life Darrin Cobalt."

"And live the life of a single mother of three, I think not," I replied pouting at her.

"Did you wrap the presents like I asked?" she questioned turning back to the dinner she was preparing.

"Yes," I sighed. "And I hid them before you ask."

"Good boy," she chuckled. "Now go find the kids. Dinner is almost ready."

I nodded and stood from my chair. I kissed Dana before walking from the kitchen to go in search of my children. When I walked up the stairs and down the hall, I spotted Curajos, Sagira, and Eamon standing outside mine and Dana's bedroom. I raised a brow and walked towards them. Curajos was the first to see me approach and he quickly let out a growling meow. I heard the excited whispers of my children as the all tumbled out of the room, looking up at me with innocent eyes.

"Hey Papa," Autumn said dancing over to me.

"Hey yourself," I said kissing her forehead. "Now just what you three doing in our bedroom?"

"Nothing," all three said a little too quickly.

"You wouldn't happen to be looking for your presents were you?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest.

"No!" they all shouted in unison.

"Good," I said narrowing my eyes and smiling slyly, "because they aren't in there. Now come downstairs. Dinner is ready."

They all zoomed past me and towards the dining room. The rest of our family and clans were sitting at the table, giving the children bright smiles…well everyone but Davian and Raven who both smirked at the children. Dana came in with a large roast and set it in the center of the table, which was overflowing with food. The three of them ran to the remaining empty chairs and sat there smiling at their mother. She smiled back and gave each of them a kiss on the head before starting to serve the food. I sat next to Lucian and ruffled his hair as he started to dig into the plate his mother sat before him. When all the plates were clean and everyone had their fill, Dana backed into the dining room holding the large cake in front of her. The small candle was lit and cast a warm glow to Dana's face. Our children looked up at her with wide, excited eyes as she set the cake in front of them.

"_Happy birthday to you,_" we all started to sing, "_happy birthday to you. Happy birthday Victoria, Autumn, and Lucian. Happy birthday to you!_"

"Make a wish," Dana whispered as she smiled down at our children.

They all closed their eyes for a moment. Together, they stood in their chairs and blew out the candle in a big breath of air. We all clapped as the beamed at all of us. Dana was chuckling softly as she cut the cake and passed it around to those who wanted it. Despite eating mass amounts of food, all three children scarfed down two pieces of cake and some ice cream that Dana brought out.

"Alright time for presents," Dana said clapping her hands.

The three children shouted in joy and ran to the den, their shadowlings hot on their heels. There waiting for them, were three piles of presents. Granted they weren't as large as their Christmas piles, but they were still a pretty good size. Dana directed them towards the appropriate pile and signaled for them to wait.

"You all have to wait for each person to open their gifts before your own," she said sternly. "Since he is the eldest, Lucian can go first."

Lucian wasted no time in opening his presents. Father had made him more soldiers for his fort with weapons and horses to go along with them. Mother had gotten him a leather hunting jacket to go along with the boots he had gotten for Christmas. Cain and Abel got him more arrows with bright red and green feathers at the ends. Chris had gotten him another book, this one on survival. Helios and Alex had gotten him a pair of boxing gloves made of a soft, but tough red leather. Raven had gotten him different types of sports equipment including a soccer ball and net, a football, and a baseball and bat. Dana handed him a slender black box. Lucian looked at it curiously before opening it up. Inside was a silver flute cushioned by black velvet. Lucian blushed and nodded his thanks to his mother. We found out his musical talents one day when he was messing around on the grand piano in the den.

I smiled at him and reached under the couch to retrieve my gift for him. I pulled out the long slender box and slid it towards my son. He looked at me curiously before taking it and opening the box. There, nestled in the tissue paper, was a long sword in its sheath. Lucian looked at it with wide eyes as he took it and slid the blade from the sheath. It was a little longer than his arm and the hilt of the sword had the silver metal crafted to look like flames lapping up towards the blade. A small ruby was set were blade met hilt and glinted in the fading light. Lucian dropped the sword and wrapped his arms around me. I hugged back and glanced up at Dana. She was giving me a disapproving look but smiled at our son.

She looked over at Autumn and gave her a nod to open her gifts now. She dived towards her presents and pulled the first gift she could get her hands on towards her. Mother and father had gotten her some beautiful necklaces and matching bracelets. Cain and Abel gave her more dresses and clothes for her China doll. Helios and Alex gave her a couple more delicately made dolls for her dollhouse. Chris gave her a book of cute little love stories. Dana gave her an antique looking doll from her childhood. Raven gave her a journal and a calligraphy kit. She looked up at me hopefully and I chuckled handing her a small box. She opened it and gasped at the delicate ring sitting in the silk cushion of the. Set on the thin silver band was a small ruby with thin silver spindles enclosing around it. Autumn looked up at me with tears swimming in her eyes as she hugged me tightly. I chuckled and kissed the top of her head softly.

We all turned to Victoria, our youngest child. She smiled at us before opening her gifts. My father had made her a mighty dragon to go with her castle, each scale carefully painted to through off the light in small rainbows. Mother had made her a princess dress for her and one for her China doll. Cain and Abel gave her miniature unicorns for her castle as well. Helios and Alex gave her more paints and brushes for her art set, and Raven gave her a small potter's wheel and some supplies to go along with it. Dana smiled at our daughter and gave her a small charm bracelet that was her mother's. Victoria scampered over to me and sat down in my lap, looking up at me expectantly. I gave her a smirk before shooing her off my lap and reaching for a box under my chair. I handed it to her and she ripped it open. It was a delicate jeweled comb-pin with small rubies carved into roses. Smaller diamonds clustered around the jeweled flowers amongst silver spindles weaving between the face roses. Victoria held it gently in her hands and looked up at me with a bewildered expression.

"You all should know," I said addressing all of my children, "that the gifts I have given you I began making the day after your birth."

"You made these?" Lucian asked in disbelief as he looked from his sword to his sisters' ring and comb.

"Yes I did," I replied my chest puffing up slightly.

"Thank you Papa!" they all shouted as they threw their small arms around me.

I smiled and kissed each of them on the forehead, carefully detangling their arms from around me. Dana was looking at us with a warm smile as she ushered the kids upstairs to get ready for bed. I looked over at Davian and gestured towards the large pile of wrapping paper and boxes. He sighed and began to help me clean up. We brought the children's gifts up to their rooms and walked back to the den where our father was looking out of the window carefully. I looked over at my brother before going to stand by my father.

"You don't smell them," he stated not asking any questions.

"Smell who?" Davian asked his eyes now scanning outside.

"I could have sworn I smelled an Amethyst," my father said tearing his eyes from the window to look at me.

"I don't doubt that you did," I told him glancing outside for a moment.

"What do they want?" my father asked frustrated as he stormed from the window.

"According to Alice," I said trying not to cringe as I said the name, "Dana's children will bring upon an era of peace between vampires and humans, allowing us to join them in society rather than hide in the shadows. Since Amethysts need humans to sustain life in the form of blood, if they knew about us then they would know that humans didn't die from blood loss and from a vampire bite."

"I never looked at it that way," my father mumbled.

"I have my suspicions that Alice didn't really die," I said quietly, "that somehow I didn't kill her. I mean, her body just disappeared at the end of the Games along with Tristan. And low and behold Tristan appears with thoughts of getting my son to _her_, her being Alice if I am not mistaken."

"But how are your children supposed to join vampires and humans in peace?" my father snapped. "If they go out and try this, they will either be locked in a mental institute for spouting such bullshit or sent to a lab to be experimented on if someone actually believes them."

"I assume you know this because it's been done?" Davian asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"There is a research facility called Cell," Father said rubbing at his temples. "This facility is funded by the van Helsings to try and find the gene that separates creatures like vampires and werewolves from human beings. For years now, vampires have been disappearing without a trace only to turn up a few months later dead. Their bodies were cut up and mutilated so much that we had trouble identifying them. Their bodies also had this burning sweet minty scent."

"You're kidding me," I groaned. "So that means that they're in charge of our destruction. But what do the van Helsings what with our genetic material?"

"Probably to create a race of superhumans," Davian answered with a shrug.

"We need to stop talking about this," I said listening out for Dana. "Dana will be down here any moment so no more talk of this. I don't want you two to even think on this. The last thing she needs is knowing that some science nerds are out to get her children."

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><p><strong>AN: **Sorry for killing the happy mood…again. But I bet you all are starting to get an idea as to how the third installment is going to go. Please remember to review!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **And now, the moment you all have been waiting for…Dana and Darrin's wedding!

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><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

**Four Months Later**

True to their word, neither my father nor brother spoke anymore on the whole Cell situation. Every day I noticed her looking at the children, especially Lucian, with fear and worry. Even their shadowlings were watching the children a little more closely. Eamon would even growl at anyone who got too close to Lucian for his liking. I shook my head, trying to clear my head of these thoughts. Today was to be a happy day. Today was the day I finally married the girl of my dreams. I smiled to myself as I rose from my bed. Dana had been ushered off my Raven and Abel last night for her bachelorette party and I haven't seen her since. I wouldn't be able to see her for several hours until the ceremony that afternoon. Dana had insisted upon that stupid superstition that the groom couldn't see his bride till it was time for them to marry.

I smiled as I walked into the bathroom, pulling my sleep shirt over my head. I looked at myself in the mirror and smirked when my eyes fell upon the dark green bloom centered over my heart. My fingers brushed against the mark Dana had made, remembering when she told me she was ready to take our relationship to a new level…and that's how the triplets came into being. Dana had my mark relatively in the same place as mine was and I hoped my mother wouldn't notice it today. I wanted today to go off without a hitch, without any family drama. I let out a long sigh as I began to get ready for the rest of my life.

**X X X**

"Can I really do this?" I asked Davian as he helped tie my bowtie.

"Yes," he answered with a smirk. "You're just nervous and that is perfectly natural. You love Dana and you want nothing more than to be with her and the kids."

"Well I know that," I said rolling my eyes, "but do I really need some stupid ceremony to make it official. I mean we've already said the most important words known to our kind, so is this really necessary?"

"You have to make a good show for Mom and Dad," Davian said patting my shoulder when he was finished. "And besides, if you don't go through with this I have a feeling that Dana's parents will find some way to come here and kick your ass."

I let out a small laugh as I looked at myself in the mirror. Davian had pulled my hair back into a low ponytail that went along nicely with my tux. I wore a dark blue vest with silver detailing and a dark silver bowtie. Davian was dressed similarly but his vest and bowtie were a few shades lighter than mine. He left his hair down though since it was shorter than mine and barely brushed his shoulders now. I turned around when the door opened to reveal my son. Lucian had the same colored vest and bowtie as I did with his long hair pulled back in a similar fashion as mine. He clutched the small white silk pillow to his chest and looked up at me with big eyes.

"Well look at you," I said with a big smile. "You'll get all the girls looking like that."

"Dad," Lucian said closing his eyes, "I'm still young enough to think girls are icky so don't even."

"Well I'm just saying," I replied letting out a sigh. "Have you seen your mother and sisters?"

"I just came from there," Lucian said smiling. "Wait till you see them."

I smiled at him and gently patted him on the head. He smiled back and ran off just as my father stepped into the room. I looked at him, elegantly dressed in his black tux with a cobalt blue vest and bowtie. He looked me up and down nodding slowly.

"You look good," he said mildly.

"Same to you," I replied.

"You ready?" he asked coming forward to straighten my bowtie.

"I think so," I said watching his hands.

"Got your vows memorized?" he asked stepping back from me.

"Yes but Davian has some cards in case I forget anything," I answered giving myself one last look in the mirror.

I followed my brother and father out of the dressing room and out towards the garden in the back of the mansion. Dana and I decided that we would have the ceremony in the gardens and the reception in the large, unused ballroom located on the west side of the mansion. Already, our clans, family, and the few friends we had were gathering outside. To my dismay, Dana had invited Adam—the werewolf that almost took her from me—and his pack to the wedding. She had grown close to them in the past thanks to me and my "stupid" emotions as she so lovingly called them. Adam grinned at me rather wolfishly and waggled his eyebrows in my direction. I tried not to glare and went to stand in front of the fountain where my grandfather stood. He was acting as a minister of sorts for the ceremony, seeing as how he was the previous Ruby king before my father and had such authority. He gave me a warm smile as I stood beside him, Davian coming to stand to my right acting as my best man.

We had set up the grand piano outside and Alex was sitting there waiting for the guests to get settled and for Dana to make her entrance from the large French doors that led to the gardens from the ballroom. Once everyone was finally seated, Alex looked over his shoulder and began to play. Everyone stood again and turned to look at the blushing bride being led by Chris making her way down the aisle at a steady pace. Little Autumn and Victoria dressed in dark blue dresses with silver sashes tied around their waists led the way, scattering orange and white rose petals on the garden path. Lucian walked slowly behind them, two silver rings placed on the silk pillow held out in front of them. Raven walked behind him, dressed in a simple burnt silver dress with a dark blue sash tied at the waist, acting as Dana's maid of honor. I took a deep breath and turned to look at my bride walking towards me. I felt my heart skip a beat and my breath catch in my throat.

Dana's long red hair was twisted and braided into an elegant bun with a few strands of hair hanging loosely and framing her face. Her dress was made of a soft ivory material that clung to her every curve. The skirt of the dress was not a full ball gown but wasn't A-line and flowed around her. The dress was strapless and I could vaguely remember my mother calling the neckline a sweetheart something-or-other. A dark blue sash was tied around her waist and fell down the back of her dress. In her hands was a bouquet of orange lilies, orange and white roses, with a few small sunflowers thrown in. A jeweled tiara held her veil in place, which was covering her face. Still, I could see her beautiful face through the sheer material and her green eyes were looking at me warmly. She and Chris came to a stop in front of my grandfather and I turned to face him as well.

"We are gathered here today on this glorious day in the comfort and serenity of friends and family to join these two young lovers in the comforting arms of marriage," my grandfather said his voice ringing through the garden. "Marriage is something held highly to our kind and is something we do not take lightly. Who gives this woman to this man?"

"Friends and family gathered here today," Chris answered. He kissed the back of Dana's hand and went to take his seat in the front row.

"Before we go any farther is there anyone here who has reasons why these two should not be wed," my grandfather asked taking a moment for any objections. "Very well, with that taken care of we may begin. The bride and groom have written their own vows which they shall now recite." He nodded at Dana and she turned to face me, taking my hands in hers.

"Darrin," she began trying to find the right words, "when I first met you I was brand new to this world. I had come from an unloving, uncaring environment and I thought I would never find nor understand love. Then you came into my life and you infuriated me beyond belief. You barged in, proclaiming about an emotion completely foreign to me. I was afraid that if I allowed myself to love I would lose that and be alone once again. But slowly, I let you in and I let you love me. And slowly I realized that I loved you to and wanted nothing more than to have you in my life now and forever. When you asked me to marry you I couldn't believe that this was actually happening to me, that I had at last found love and happiness. I want to thank you Darrin Cobalt, thank you for loving me and showing me that I can have someone as wonderful as you to stand by my side for as long as I live."

I could see the tears streaming down her face from behind her veil, and I fought back tears of my own. My grandfather gave her a bright smile before turning to me and nodding. I stood there for a moment, trying to find my voice without crying. Davian cleared his throat and nudged me gently before I finally got my bearings.

"Dana, when I first saw you I knew instantly that you were meant to be with me," I said slowly looking at our joined hands. "You brought this wonderfully bright and warm light into my world. My life hadn't been the happiest until I met you. You were so beautiful, kind, stubborn, and warm that I couldn't believe that I had gotten so lucky. I took a chance when I asked you to marry me and you made me the happiest being alive when you accepted my proposal and then again when you brought our three beautiful children into this world. I fought long and hard to have you stand by my side for the rest of my days and I know that with each passing day, that is another day I prove my love and devotion towards you. I love you Dana Savior with all my heart. And I love the light you brought into my dark world."

Dana sniffed as she reached up behind her veil and wiped at the tears freely flowing down her face. I let out a small laugh as I wiped away tears of my own. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my mother was crying as well and to my surprise my father's eyes were shining with unshed tears. My grandfather cleared his throat as he too fought back tears before addressing us.

"Dana Olivia Savior," he began slowly, "do you take this man to be your husband. To stand by his side in sickness and in heath, for better or for worse, in times of triumph and in anguish for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," she whispered softly squeezing my hands in hers.

"And do you Darrin Xavier Cobalt," my grandfather said turning towards me, "take this woman to be your wife. To stand by her side in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, in times of triumph and in anguish for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I said never taking my eyes off of Dana.

"May we have the rings?" my grandfather asked looking over at Lucian. He came forward and lifted the pillow up to my grandfather who took the rings and placed one in each of our palms. "Dana, take Darrin's hand and repeat after me. Darrin, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love. Darrin, you will respond saying I will wear it gladly. Whenever I look at it, I will remember this joyous day and the vows we have made."

"Darrin," Dana said gently slipping the ring onto my finger, "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love."

"I will wear it gladly," I repeated slowly. "Whenever I look at it, I will remember this joyous day and the vows we have made."

"Now Darrin take Dana's hand and repeat the same vows to her," my grandfather said smiling at me.

"Dana," I said as I slide the silver band onto her slender finger, "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love."

"I will wear it gladly," she responded her voice thick with tears. "Whenever I look at it, I will remember this joyous day and the vows we have made."

"With the vows in your hearts and the rings on your fingers I now pronounce you man and wife," my grandfather said raising his hands over us. "Darrin, you may now kiss your bride."

I smiled and gently lifted the veil up and over her head. Dana smiled at me as I leaned down and gently pressed my lips to hers. Her arms circled around my neck as she pulled me closer and my arms went around her waist. When we pulled apart the guests erupted into applause, standing to their feet as Dana and I walked down the aisle, our hands clasped together as we smiled and waved to our friends and family, slowly making our way back to the mansion.

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><p><strong>AN: **Just to let those who don't understand fashion, Dana's dress is a lace and silk A-line ball gown with a sweetheart neckline. And weren't their vows just precious? Please remember to review!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Hello there! Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been up to my neck in school work but finals are closing in and so the teachers have started lightening the work load a bit. So here is Chapter 11 aka the wedding reception!

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<strong>

I led Dana into the ballroom and we both looked around at the wonderful decorations. The tables surround the dance floor had silver table cloths with dark blue placemats and the chairs each had a silver or blue bow adorning the back. Each table had a vase filled with orange lilies and roses to complement the various hues of blue in the room and had candles surrounding them. At the head of all the tables was a smaller one with a dark blue table cloth and beautiful tiger lilies covering most of the surface. The chairs were a bit taller than the guests' chairs and were draped in silver silks with dark blue detailing. I led Dana to the front of the table as we greeted guests that filed into the ballroom. Dana would hug them as they came up and I would clasp their hands tightly in my in a hearty shake. Abel ran into the room and practically tackled Dana, wrapping his arms around her in a death hug. Dana patted his back a bit dazed and looked over at me for help. Before I could do anything, I felt Abel's arms crush around me and he actually managed to pick me up off my feet.

"Abel," I croaked, "breathing is an activity in which I find great enjoyment."

"Sorry," he said and I could see tears running down his face. "I'm just so happy for you two. And your vows were the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. And Dana's dress is just perfect and you look so handsome and I just couldn't help myself."

He began to sob loudly and I was thankful when Cain showed up and ushered his brother away. My mother, father, and brother were the next in line. Mother kissed Dana on the cheek before pulling her into a hug. The two women had grown close during the wedding planning and I was a little happy to see my mother in a new light. She came to me next and pulled me into a tight hug, kissing at my temple before pulling back and standing aside for the next person to come up to me. Davian pecked Dana on the mouth once, giving me a saucy wink before sauntering off to his table. My father stood awkwardly in front of Dana. He gave a curt nod to both of us but before he would walk off, Dana grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you for letting me join the family," I could hear her whisper to my father.

"Thank you for loving my son," he whispered back and returned her hug.

He looked at me and I stared back, not quite knowing what expression I had. He stepped forward cautiously before giving me a shift but tight hug.

"I'm proud to call you my son," he whispered before pulling away and walking off.

I stood there looking at Dana in shock. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she greeted Chris warmly. He hugged her tightly and kissed her on the forehead before giving me the same greeting. I smiled at him as he walked over to the same table my mother and father was seated. I looked over when Dana let out a squeal to see her off of her feet and in the arms of one of the werewolves. I vaguely remembered his name was David and did my best not to growl as he swung my bride in a wide circle. When he finally set her on her feet again he gave her a small kiss on the cheek and shook my hand firmly before joining his pack. Adam and his mate—I believe her name was Claire—came over and both gave Dana a hug and a kiss on the cheek much like the other werewolf. Adam shook my hand and Claire also gave me a small kiss on the cheek before joining their pack.

We met and greeted the other guests, exchanging words of thanks and gratitude for their attendance. When everyone had filed in Chris went up to the raised platform where the band we had hired was setting up. He tapped on the microphone a few times to get everyone's attention. He motioned for me and Dana to come forward and we made our way to the center of the dance floor.

"It is now time for the bride a groom to take their first dance as man and wife," Chris said a loving smile spread across his face.

I smiled down at Dana and placed one hand on her hip while holding the other. She smiled back and brought her free hand up to rest on my shoulder. When the band began to play, we began a slow and measured dance.

_Heart beats fast_

_Colors and promises_

_How to be brave_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall_

_But watching you stand alone_

_All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_

I smiled softly as I listened to the lyrics and move Dana and I around the dance floor. She smiled back and rested her head on my chest, her eyes closing as we moved to the slow beat of the song.

_One step closer_

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

"I love you," I whispered leaning down to kiss the top of her head gently.

"And I you," she whispered back her arm tightening around me.

_Time stands still_

_Beauty in all she is_

_I will be brave_

_I will not let anything take away_

_What's standing in front of me_

_Every breath_

_Every hour has come to this_

Dana and I took great care in selecting "our song" as she called it. When she found this one, we realized that the lyrics resonated deeper than anything else. This song was literally about us. This was our song.

_One step closer_

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

As we moved around the dance floor, I met the soft smiles and tears of our guests. Mother was smiling at me, leaning back against my father who was also smiling to my surprise. Our children stood at the edge of the dance floor watching us lovingly. Autumn and Victoria were clinging to each other crying while their brother stood over them with an approving smile on his face. Their shadowlings were seated beside them also watching us with what I interpreted as happy eyes.

_And all along I believed I would find you_

_Time has brought your heart to me_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

_One step closer_

_One step closer_

Dana turned her face up towards me, tears shining in her beautiful green eyes. I gave her a small smirk before leaning down and pressing my lips against hers, never stopping our slow movements.

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

_And all along I believed I would find you_

_Time has brought your heart to me_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

We stopped our movements when the last note played. I looked deep into Dana's eyes as the guests erupted into applause. She smiled back kissing me one last time as the band started up another song and couples started towards the dance floor. Chris came over and offered Dana his arm. She took it and he led her into another dance. I smiled as I watched them before feeling two small bodies bump into me. I looked down at to see Autumn and Victoria clinging to pant leg.

"We wanna dance too Papa," they said in unison.

I smiled and picked up Victoria. I held her as Autumn clung to me and I moved us around in circles. They let out bouts of laughter as we moved around and I laughed with them. I looked over to see Dana and Chris smiling at us. My father came up behind Chris and tapped him on the shoulder. He gestured towards Dana and Chris gave him a small bow before handing off my new wife to my father. I watched as the two danced gracefully before feeling someone tap my shoulder. I turned to see my mother smiling at me.

"Can an old woman ask her son for a dance?" she asked.

"I don't think that is a difficult request," I answered with a smirk.

I set Victoria down and she and her sister ran off to dance with Chris. I gently took my mother's hand and waist and led her into a slow dance. She patted my shoulder gently smiling over at my father and Dana. I followed her eyes to see the two talking softly, a small smile on my father's face.

"She's really changed him," my mother said softly.

"How so?" I asked quirking a brow.

"I've never seen him so gentle before," she continued. "He's starting to remember and regret how he treated you boys when you were younger. He's trying to make up for it through your sister and children. I know you can't fully forgive him for all that he's done, but you have to remember that he is just a man. And men have flaws."

"I know," I sighed as the song ended with our dance. "It's just hard for me. I can see how he is with the kids and Clarisse but I can't let go of what he's done to me. I'm allowing him to be in my children's lives and stay here as part of the family. But I don't have to like all of my family."

"True," my mother chuckled as she patted my chest. "He really is proud of you Darrin. And he does love you as much as he can."

I nodded as Dana and my father made their way toward us. My father took my mother's hand in his, kissed the back of it gently, and led her of towards their table. I led Dana towards our table and we sat down, letting the guests serve themselves first to the buffet laid out on the other side of the room. She leaned against me and watched the guests dance, eat, and mingle amongst themselves. We smiled as our children made their way towards us. Autumn crawled into my lap as Lucian and Victoria crawled into Dana's. They smiled up at us and nestled further onto our laps. I looked over at Dana and her eyes met mine. I reached over and took her hand in mine. Finally we were a real family.

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><p><strong>AN: **Wasn't that a beautiful reception. It took me forever to figure out what Dana and Davian's song should be then I started listening to sappy love songs on Youtube and found this one! So the next chapter is the last chapter of this story…and I'm gonna leave you hanging on this tale for a little while so I can work on two other stories that tie into this little universe I have created. So until next time…REVIEW!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **This is it…the final chapter of "My Precious Gems". It has been a fun ride and I have presented you all with many twists and turns along the way. But all good things must come to an end….and please don't hate me after you read this chapter.

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

**Two weeks later**

I woke up to find the space beside me in bed empty. I sat up to see Dana outside on the balcony that was connected to our room overlooking the ocean. For our honeymoon, Mother and Father gave us use of their summer home located on the Mediterranean. Dana had never been out of the country before so I wanted to take her somewhere special for our honeymoon. So, the night after the wedding we put the children to bed and packed our bags. Dana wanted to take the children along with us but Chris, Father, and I all advised against it. The flight over was interesting. Dana had never been on a plane, let alone a private jet. She confessed to me on top of being afraid of water due to her inability to swim, she was deathly afraid of heights. So I held her in my lap as we flew off to the mystery location. It wasn't until we arrived that I told her what this place was.

For the past two weeks, we had the home to ourselves. We had a private ten mile stretch of beach and we enjoyed several days lounging in the sun, completely at ease. For two weeks we had no worries or cares…well except Dana fretting over the children. I admit that I did miss them as well but I was able to get them off of Dana's mind. I got out of bed and slowly made my way behind my wife. I place a hand on each side of her, caging her with my arms and body. She smiled up at me and brought her hand up behind her to cup my face. I leaned into the touch and together we watched the sun rise over the clear blue water.

"We have to go back today," I told her resting my chin on the top of her head.

"I know," she said a little sadly.

"Don't you want to get back to the kids?" I asked glancing down at her.

"Well yes," she replied, "but it was nice to get away from it all. Not have to worry about anything. Just wake up every day whenever we wanted and do whatever we wanted."

"Yes," I agreed, "but it's time we get back to them. They'll be upset if we stay any longer."

Dana chuckled and turned to face me. She stood up on her toes and gave me a chaste kiss before ducking under my arms and began to pack. I leaned against the doorframe and watched her, a smile playing at my lips. She looked over her shoulder at me and smiled back, playfully throwing a shirt at me. I caught it and pushed myself from the doorframe and started to help her pack.

**X X X**

The car pulled up in front of the mansion. Dana and I got out and thanked the driver, accepting our luggage and walked towards the front door. I stopped in my tracks suddenly which caused Dana to turn and look at me curiously. My eyes widened as a strange but familiar scent perfumed the air. Dana opened her mouth to call out to me and her eyes went wide as well when she caught the scent. The air stunk with the scent of Amethysts. Dana and I dropped our bags and ran towards the mansion. I threw open the door to see my girls on the ground, silent tears streaming down their faces. Both our families and clans stood in the grand entranceway talking in hushed tones. Chris looked up as we barged in with a look of shock and pity. My father looked at me with the same expression and came towards us.

My eyes darted around the room, taking in everyone that was there. Mother was crouched down between the girls, trying her best to comfort them. Abel was huddled between Cain and Alex who were trying their best to console the crying male as well. Davian was leaning against a wall, his face blank and unreadable. Chris was whispering something to Dana. A look of pure terror and dread crossed her face as she fell to the floor, a broken sob passing through her lips. My eyes paused on her shaking form for a moment before looking to the far side of the room. Eamon was lying on the floor, his ears flat against his head. Sagira and Curajos were licking his fur in comfort and that's when I finally noticed who was missing.

"Where's Lucian?" I asked softly looking at my father.

"Darrin," he began.

"WHERE IS MY SON?" I bellowed.

"Please dear," my mother begged, "let your father explain."

"I thought I smelled something last night," my father told me putting a hand on my shoulder. "I got up and started to patrol the halls when I saw something go into Lucian's room. I heard Eamon growling and snarling and by the time I got there, I saw this Amethyst vamp standing there holding Lucian. They jumped out the window and I tried to follow them, but there were others and they ambushed me. I'm sorry son, but they got him. They took Lucian."

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><p><strong>AN: **Sorry to end it like this guys…but it was dramatic which is what I needed…plus you guys probably saw this coming anyway. Now don't you go worrying your pretty little heads over this…I am going to fix things here. Now there are two stories you all need to keep an eye out for: "Dark Savior" and "Guardian". They are intertwining stories that will explain everything. Please remember to review…and don't hate me…I'll make you all cookies and cake and brownies


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